Consequences
by RoseofSharon7
Summary: A month after "The Life, the Negaverse, and Everything", events begin to unfold that will lead Darkwing to a startling discovery, and a dangerous mission. A new perspective on the origins of the Negaverse. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck or any associated characters.

There are some things that should never be done….

Prologue

Two Weeks Before the Events of "The Life, the Negaverse, and Everything"

A dark shadow slunk through the dimly lit hallways of the nearly empty building, its movements cautious and furtive. Not a sound was made as it crept along, and if it weren't for its determined motions, it might have easily been invisible. The figure approached a square of moonlit floor and paused, carefully eyeing the surrounding area before continuing forward. As it moved through the square, the pale moonlight washed over the figure, bathing it in an eerie white glow and revealing for a split second the bold colors that clad the shape. Then it passed out of the square, and was once more enveloped in darkness.

He chuckled silently to himself as he approached a door and lifted a "borrowed" card key to the lock. He was most impressed with the security. The guard had taken one look at him and after a moment of trying to stammer out some unintelligible word, had fainted dead away. Two minutes later found the guard tied hand and foot in a nearby broom closet with his gun and pass key missing. The lock opened as it read the key, emitting a soft "beep" that in the empty hallways sounded like the chime of a large clock. The figure looked around, and was almost disappointed to find that no one seemed to have heard. He fingered the weapon tucked inside his jacket as he slipped inside the room. He relished the thought of needing to use it.

Such a job as he was doing though was better done in secrecy, as much as he'd love a shoot out. He gently pushed the door shut, the lock reengaging with a barely audible click. The outlines of the room were barely visible in the darkness, and the vague shapes of unknown objects loomed ominously around the figure, enough to cause a fearful tremor in any ordinary person.

But the shape in the dark room wasn't any normal person. As calmly as if he reading a book, the figure pulled out a flashlight, illuminating a cluttered work table in its small circle of light. The circle moved, slowly revealing the contents of a large, high tech laboratory. Numerous sophisticated gadgets appeared, but disappeared just as quickly as the light moved on. He wasn't interested in play toys.

Suddenly a silver door appeared, and the circle stilled. There it was. Making his way past the numerous worktables, the figure approached the door and studied it thoughtfully. While it certainly wasn't the low end of safe doors, it wasn't going to be too hard to get past it. Propping the flashlight on a nearby table, the figure reached in to his jacket and pulled out a small metal disc. He held it to the door and it attached itself magnetically. Then he stepped back and waited.

A few seconds passed, and seemingly nothing happened. Then suddenly the disc sent out an electrical charge over the surface of the door. With a grin of satisfaction the figure heard the electronic locks pop open, and the electric current ceased. He reached up, pulled the disc back off, and tucked it away. Now all that was left was the manual lock. For this, he pulled out a small, flat-bladed tool and inserted it into the key hole. He pressed a button on the handle, and the lock blew apart with a dull pop. Quickly removing the tool, he grabbed the handle of the door and gave it a good shake. With only a little resistance, the abused lock yielded and the door pulled open.

The contents of the safe gleamed like a gold mine in the beam of the flashlight. The figure knew that the cheapest item in there couldn't cost less than a couple million dollars. It took a minute for him to recollect himself. Most villains only _dreamed_ of an opportunity like this. As he stepped into the large walk-in safe, the figure shone his light on the shelves lining the walls, and had to make a conscious effort not to just grab everything and run. As valuable as everything in that safe was, there was on item somewhere in there that was worth so much more, something that if in the right hands, could give its user unimagined abilities. Why waste his time for a few paltry millions?

_Wait, there it was!_ The figure quickly stepped forward and reached for the item his light illuminated, putting it carefully on his palm. The device was only slightly bigger than a large television remote, but weighed at least three times as much. Many buttons and switches stood out on the surface of the object, and as he examined it, he saw the inventor's logo printed on the back. Heat radiated from the object. He could almost feel the power of that device rushing up his arm and coursing through his body. He had what he needed.

He carefully tucked the object inside his jacket. Satisfied that he was finished there, he moved to leave when something caught his eye. Turning back, he lifted the page with one hand and shone the light on it. A sinister grin grew on his face as he realized what he was looking at. He pulled out a pen, and after making a few alterations, left the safe with a satisfied smirk.

He made his way out of the building to a safe location a short distance away, where he watched with amusement as the compound erupted into chaos the next morning.


	2. A Surprising Return

Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck or any associate characters. All are property of Disney, and are used without permission for the purpose of entertainment, not profit. The plot is my own.

* * *

Six Weeks Later

In an insignificant part of the city, in an insignificant house, a seemingly insignificant person was having a restless sleep. The mallard tossed and turned amid a tangle of sweat-soaked bed sheets, mumbling incoherently. Suddenly, the duck shot up with a strangled cry, his breath coming in sharp gasps and his eyes wild and fearful. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was, and when he finally did, he dropped his head into his hands and took a few shaky breaths.

To the few people who knew Drake Mallard, he seemed only to be a devoted father and a rather private person. But to the three who knew him better than any other people on the planet, he was so much more. Drake Mallard, ordinary citizen, was also Darkwing Duck, the terror that flapped in the night, professional crime-fighter, and a terror to any criminal in St. Canard. Right now though, Drake didn't feel as though he could terrorize an ant, much less a criminal.

In his profession, nightmares were to be expected. He'd seen so many weird things and gone through so many harrowing experiences that they were actually pretty normal for him. But ever since his experience in the Negaverse, his dreams had been worse. Something about that alternate universe haunted him. Maybe it was how it was everything he knew, even his sidekick and neighbors, had been twisted into demented evil replicas, or maybe it was seeing his beautiful city in such a decrepit broken-down state. Whatever it was, he couldn't get it out of his head. He was dreaming about it practically every night now. The one thing that really helped though each time he woke up with the fact that he would never have to go back; Negaduck was gone for good.

Drake heard the knob on his door jiggle, and quickly hopped out of bed and wiped traces of his nightmare off his face, just in time for his daughter and sidekick to come barreling into his room.

"Dad! Are you all right?" Gosalyn cried, looking around the room, a baseball bat clutched in her hands.

"We heard you yell!" Launchpad exclaimed almost at the same time.

Drake managed a chuckle. "Me yell? Not a chance! It was—the radio!" he lied. "I went to turn on the radio, but one of Gosalyn's CDs was in there. You know how much those bands scream."

Launchpad seemed satisfied with his explanation and started to pad back off to bed, but Gosalyn looked skeptical. "You never listen to the radio!" she said. "Come on Dad, what's going on?" She suddenly tilted her head as a thought occurred to her. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Drake forced a laugh. "Are you kidding? I'm Darkwing Duck! I _am_ a nightmare, to every criminal in St. Canard!"

Gosalyn rolled her eyes and left the room, muttering her agreement to the nightmare part. Drake sighed with relief and sank back down onto his bed. He knew that Gosalyn meant well, but he really didn't need her worrying over him. She could be the most tenacious girl in the city, but when it came to maternal instincts, mother hens had nothing on her. Besides, admitting that he'd had a nightmare would mean that he would have to tell her what about, and J. Gander had sworn him to secrecy when it came to the Negaverse. Far be it from him to break a pinky swear!

Drake glanced over at his bedside clock, wondering it would be worth trying to sleep some more. Usually his crime-fighting dictated that his sleep be during daytime hours, but last night had been abnormally slow, so he'd hit the hay early. The clock read 7:30. He'd only been in bed for three hours. No wonder he felt so tired still Well, since it was only 7:30… _Wait! Gosalyn was supposed to be getting ready for school!_ Unless his daughter had taken the initiative and started getting ready for school herself, she had only fifteen minutes to get completely ready and out the door! Drake stood and quickly got dressed. Gosalyn getting ready for school on her own was about as likely as Negaduck giving up his life of crime.

* * *

On the outskirts of town, a certain mutant plant-duck was conducting an important experiment in his greenhouse. "Okay Spike, just one more drop of vinegar to counteract the base, and my experiment will be complete!" Bushroot cried. The dog-like Venus flytrap at his side handed him a dropper and panted excitedly. Ever so carefully, the mutant held the dropper over the mixture and squeezed out a single drop. The droplet landed noiselessly in the beaker, and Bushroot used the stir stick to mix it in.

"Okay, now for the test." He lowered his leafy hand into the beaker, and after a second's hesitation, plunged his hand into the mixture. "Ah," Bushroot said, relaxing into it. "It's perfect! I've finally discovered the perfect soil mixture!"

"I always knew your hands were dirtier then you let on," a voice growled from behind him.

Bushroot whipped around, his heart in his throat. "N-n-n-Negaduck!" he stammered as he saw the silhouette of the mallard in the shadows. "W-What are you doing here?"

Negaduck chuckled as he stepped into the light, making Bushroot's skin crawl. Negaduck laughing was never a good thing. "I have a job for you."

* * *

"Of all the stupid, idiotic, hair-brained mistakes to make, you just had to make this one!" Darkwing exclaimed, the frustration in his voice growing with every syllable. "If I didn't need you so much, I'd chuck you right out the window!" The object of the mallard's frustration sat there blankly, completely unaffected by his rant. Darkwing gave an irritated sigh and sat back in his chair, entertaining notions of questionable legality.

"Problems, DW?" Launchpad asked, coming out from under the Thunderquack.

"No, I just thought I'd sit here and yell at the computer. Of course I'm having problems LP!" Darkwing snapped. The pilot didn't answer, causing Darkwing to sigh. "Sorry Launchpad. It's just this stupid computer! I spend all afternoon installing updates on this thing, and just when everything is about to finish, an installation error shows up, and four hours of work are completely gone!"

"Why don't you just let Honker do it?" Launchpad asked. "He's really good at things like that."

"Well, I'm pretty good at it too," Darkwing said defensively.

Launchpad raised his hands in surrender. "Just trying to help, DW. It just seems like when you do it, we go through a whole lot more computers."

Darkwing opened his mouth to protest, but suddenly remembered his fantasies involving the computer's destruction a few minutes ago, and shut his bill. He changed the subject. "How're the modifications on the Thunderquack going?"

"Great!" the pilot replied enthusiastically. "Just a little while longer and they'll all be done." Darkwing smiled. Launchpad was a nightmare in the kitchen, his meals were a terror to anyone with taste buds, and he was a bull in anything remotely resembling a china shop, but when it came to mechanics, the pilot was a whiz.

Just then, the whirring of the recliners was heard, and Gosalyn and Honker appeared in their seats. "Hey Dad!" the red-head greeted enthusiastically. "Whatcha doing?"

Darkwing put his hands on his hips. "Did you finish your homework?" he asked, a warning tone evident in his voice.

"Of course!" Gosalyn replied innocently. "Don't I always?"

"No," Darkwing answered, but he let the matter drop. "How was school?"

"Fine. So what are you doing?" Gosalyn asked, coming over to the computer. "Are you using some cool, top secret, high tech gadget to track down some mutant alien from Mars here to destroy the world?" she gestured dramatically.

"Uh, not quite—" Darkwing said.

Launchpad jumped in. "DW was trying to install some things on the computer, but messed up and lost everything."

Darkwing glared at his sidekick as his daughter burst out laughing. Honker hesitantly stepped forward. "Um, if you'd like Mr. Darkwing, I would be glad to help you."

The masked mallard stared at Launchpad just a minute later for emphasis, then turned to Honker. "Thanks Honker, but I think that for—" A sudden beeping from the computer interrupted him as a map appeared on the screen. Darkwing quickly tapped a few buttons on the keyboard and an information window appeared. "A robbery in progress at the St. Canard bank, and Bushroot has been sighted!"

"Keen gear!" Gosalyn exclaimed. "Let's go!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Darkwing exclaimed as he rushed to the Ratcatcher.

"Come on Dad, lighten up!" she said, following him and Launchpad.

"No Gosalyn!" Darkwing repeated as he mounted the motorcycle.

Gosalyn put on her helmet and moved to join Launchpad in the sidecar. "Dad, you know you always give in, and the longer you try to resist, the more time Bushroot has to get away!"

Darkwing wanted to retort, but knew that his daughter was right. He resorted to grudging compliance. "Okay, fine, but you have to stay with the Ratcatcher!"

"Yeah, yeah," Gosalyn said, settling into Launchpad's lap. She turned to her friend. "Hey Honk, you coming?"

"Uh, I think I'll just stay here and work on the computer," the boy replied in his nasally voice.

Gosalyn shrugged. "Suit yourself." The engine to the Ratcatcher revved up, and the motorcycle shot out of the tower and down the bridge cable to the city beyond.

* * *

Darkwing pulled the motorcycle to a stop in front of the bank, just in time for the group to see Bushroot disappear into a nearby alley with a great big sack slung across his back. The hero jumped off the seat and replaced his helmet with his fedora. "Now stay here Goz," he admonished the duckling one last time. She showed her displeasure in her frown and crossed arms, but remained in the sidecar, that is, until after Darkwing and Launchpad took off in pursuit of Bushroot.

As soon as Darkwing and Launchpad were out of sight, Gosalyn hopped out to the pavement below, and quietly followed her dad. There was no way she was going to sit out on this one! Besides, the only reason she couldn't watch was because her dad was a great big worry wart. She wasn't going to get involved! Probably.

She peeked around the corner of the building, and saw Bushroot running full speed for the other end of the alley. Darkwing and Launchpad were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly though, a blue cloud appeared in front of Bushroot. "I am the terror that flaps in the night!" The mutant skidded to a stop in front of the dissipating cloud. "I am the overdrawn account fee you didn't expect! I am Darkwing Duck!" The masked mallard flared his cape dramatically in front of the startled villain.

"Darkwing!" the mutant plant-duck cried, stumbling back as the hero's gas gun appeared. "Where did you come from?!"

Gosalyn saw Launchpad quietly step out behind Bushroot, cutting off his escape. "Give it up Bushy! This burlary's busted!" Darkwing said, advancing on the plant. Gosalyn sighed. It looked as though this was just going to be another boring arrest.

To the duckling's surprise though, the mutant, with uncharacteristic boldness, suddenly cried, "Not this time Darkwing!" He swung his bag of loot at Darkwing, knocking the surprised hero back on his tail feathers, then he took off back down the alley, plowing right through Launchpad!

Bushroot was already halfway down the alley before Darkwing overcame his surprise. Gosalyn saw that there was no way he could catch up to the mutant before he escaped the alley, and knew that she needed to buy him time. Just as Bushroot burst out of the alley, Gosalyn stuck her foot out into the plant-duck's path, sending him sprawling onto the pavement with a startled cry.

Only seconds later, the mutant was back on his feet, and towering over Gosalyn. "You?!" he cried as he recognized the girl.

The duckling was suddenly rather uncomfortable under his angry glare. She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, I, uh-- just remembered, I have homework to do," Gosalyn said, starting to edge away.

Bushroot suddenly grabbed her up and started to stuff her into his sack full of money. "Hey! Let me go!" Gosalyn cried. She kicked wildly, catching the mutant in the chin and allowing herself to wriggle back out of the bag._ Where was Darkwing?!_

"Ow! Hey! Stop it!" Bushroot said as Gosalyn kicked him again, this time in the shins. The duckling completely ignored him and stomped on his foot. "Ow!! Okay, you asked for it!"

A vine appeared out of a crack in the sidewalk and wrapped itself around Gosalyn's body and beak, pinning her arms to her sides and rendering her helpless. "Now be good and you won't get hurt!" the plant-duck warned her.

He hoisted her onto his shoulder and turned back to face the alley. "Hey Dorkwing!" he called. Gosalyn could now see that her dad and Launchpad were struggling with a weed problem of their own, but as Darkwing saw Gosalyn in the villain's grasp, the hero froze. "If you don't want the girl to get hurt, you leave me alone!"

Then he took off down the city street, Gosalyn over his shoulder and the sack of money completely forgotten.

* * *

Instead of his greenhouse as she'd expected, Bushroot took Gosalyn to an old warehouse near the bay. The mutant approached a broken down door and pushed it open, the creak echoing in the abandoned building. Stacks of crates still remained inside, making rows down the warehouse floor and towering high above the pair's heads. A thick layer of dust coated everything, and the heavy odor of mildew hung in the air. It was obvious that no one had been there for a long time.

Bushroot took Gosalyn over to a rickety old chair and plopped her down, inadvertently loosening the vines wrapped around her beak, then headed for a dark corner of the warehouse. "Hey! What's the big deal?!" the duckling demanded. "Kidnap me, dump me in this old warehouse, and leave?! Darkwing's going find this place, and when he does, feathers – er -- petals are going to fly!"

"Ooh, quit talking!" Bushroot cried, turning back to face her. "Or else I'll have to fix that vine around your beak!" Gosalyn shut her mouth as she got her first clear look at the mutant's face. He was terrified. The villain's movements were nervous and twitchy, and he looked as though he would jump at his own shadow. What was going on? And how in the world had worked up the courage to rob a bank, then run away from Darkwing?! Bushroot was definitely not himself. There was something weird going on here, and if Gosalyn wasn't worried that the mutant would do something stupid, she would have demanded to know what.

Satisfied though that Gosalyn was going to be quiet, Bushroot took off into the darkness of the warehouse, disappearing into the shadows and leaving the duckling alone. She wasn't alone for long though. Only a couple minutes after Bushroot had vanished from the duckling's sight, she heard voices. One was easily recognizable as the plant that had kidnapped her, but she couldn't tell who's the other's was at first. They were obviously keeping their voices low, but the concrete floor and walls carried the sound right to the young captive. Gosalyn still had to strain her ears a little to make out the words.

"Where's the money?" the mystery person asked.

"I-I left it when Darkwing showed up," Bushroot stammered.

"You left it!" the voice boomed, echoing through the structure. It was Negaduck! There was no mistaking that angry tone. It was almost exactly the way her dad had sounded when he'd discovered Gosalyn's handiwork with the VCR and sealing wax. But what was Negaduck doing here? Didn't her dad say that he would never be back?

"I forgot it!" Bushroot said fearfully. "I thought you just wanted me to lead Darkwing here. He'll come if I have the girl."

"I told you to get the money!" Negaduck growled. "That girl is worth nothing to me after Darkwing gets here!" What was going on? Why did Negaduck want Darkwing here? What was he going to do with him?

"I-I'm sorry, I'll go back and get it," Bushroot said, trying to placate his furious boss.

"No, there's no time now. Dorkwing will be here any time now. You have two days, and I want _triple_ the amount you lost, or else I'm going to give you a new part in your hair." The revving of a chain saw punctuated his statement. "Now get lost bush breath."

Bushroot came stumbling out of the darkness, and made a beeline for the door. "Hey, you just going to leave me here?" Gosalyn called.

The villain completely ignored her, but continued his mad dash for the exit, practically mowing the door down in his rush. To be honest, the duckling couldn't blame him. If she were him, she wouldn't want to be him when Darkwing got here either. Gosalyn squirmed in her bonds, trying to work the vine loose, but the plant held tight. She was still stuck.

As the red-head stopped her struggles, her ears detected a strange new sound, unlike anything she'd ever heard before. It was almost a cross between the sound of a Star Duck phaser and the Centennial Falcon going to warp, but with some magic sound effects thrown in. The sound built until it filled the warehouse, then it suddenly stopped as a green glow appeared behind a row of crates. What the heck was Negaduck doing over there, auditioning for a new sci-fi show?

"Hey Goz," a voice whispered in her ear. The girl turned her head and saw Launchpad, who was starting to work on the vine that bound her.

"Launchpad! What took you so long?" the duckling whispered.

"We uh, went to the greenhouse first before DW realized that Bushroot had gone in the other direction."

Gosalyn rolled her eyes. Typical Dad. The vines wrapped around her went slack and she hopped out of the chair, glad to be able to move her stiff muscles. She saw her dad now standing in the shadows between her and the green light, and rushed over to him. The hero had his gas gun out and was watching the pair, apparently waiting to make his move until he knew Gosalyn was safe. When he saw her running toward him though, he quickly stepped forward to meet her. "Gosalyn, honey, go with Launchpad," Darkwing said quietly. "He's going to take you home while I take care of that pusillanimous plant."

"No way! Besides you don't know what's been happening here!"

"Whatever it is, I'll find out. Now go with Launchpad." Darkwing's tone was gentle, but firm.

"Dad, Bushroot isn't even here! He left like five minutes ago!"

"Gosalyn, go home." The mallard was deadly serious now, his tone and expression leaving no room for argument.

Gosalyn tried anyway. "But-"

"Launchpad, take her out of here," Darkwing said, cutting his daughter off. Launchpad grabbed the duckling's hand and began to lead her out.

The red-head seriously considered resisting and telling her dad whether he wanted to hear her or not, but decided against it. If her dad wasn't going to listen to her, that was his problem.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" the words rang out behind her, echoing throughout the abandoned warehouse as a blue cloud started forming in the glow of the green light. "I am the loose shoelace that ruins your getaway! I am Dark-"

The hero's abrupt halt in his monologue caused Gosalyn to turn around, wondering what could have possibly stopped her dad's tagline, and was surprised to see that her dad had completely frozen, staring at the source of the green light with a look of horror on his now pallid face. Alarmed, she pulled out of Launchpad's grasp and ran to her father's side, apprehensive of what terrors waited behind the row of crates. What she saw only puzzled her more.

A door of green swirling energy stood in the middle of the walkway, casting the emerald green glow that Gosalyn had seen from her chair. The energy was brilliant in color, but its cloudiness kept it from being blindingly bright. It almost looked like a swirling green hurricane that was being lit with a billion lightning bolts. She'd never seen anything like it in all her years of science fiction experience. It was actually pretty cool looking.

Her dad didn't think so though. "It can't be..." he whispered, totally oblivious to his daughter's presence.

Gosalyn looked up at Darkwing. "What is it, Dad?"

Before he answered, the pair saw a figure move in the shadows behind the doorway, and Negaduck stepped out into the green glow, causing Darkwing to physically blanch. "Negaduck!"

Negaduck chuckled, evidently enjoying his double's consternation. "Hello, Dipwing. Well, I'd thought this little meeting would be interesting, but I never thought your reaction would be as entertaining as this."

"How did you escape?" Darkwing asked, making an effort to regain his composure.

Negaduck pulled a small silver box out of his jacket. "This little baby right here. It's actually quite useful; it opens a portal between your universe and mine, so I can come and go as I please. Evidently, it works between universes as well. I was actually just about to leave your pitiful world." The villain stepped in front of the portal, then turned back. "Here." He tossed the box to Darkwing, who caught it without thinking. "I think you'll want this." Then he stepped into the wall of energy, disappearing into the green swirls, and then the doorway shrank in on itself until it vanished.

For a moment, Darkwing continued to stare at where the portal had been, then he looked down at the small box in his hands. The top was covered in buttons, and totally uninteresting in looks, but when he turned it over, the pair saw with shock the word stenciled on the back: SHUSH.


	3. Revelations

_Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck or any associated characters; all are property of Disney, though the interpretation of some Negaverse doubles are my own._

* * *

J. Gander Hooter was not having a good day. After being awakened at two in the morning by an urgent call from his chief agent, the aged director had dragged himself out of bed, suffered through an abnormally cold shower, and drove in, only to realize as he tried to get into his office that he'd left the key at home. When he finally made it inside, he received a thorough briefing on the situation that had developed, and after hearing what was going on, was forced to admit that Gryzzlikof had been right to call him in.

The rest of the morning had been filled with hastily called meetings in which the director spent his time pacifying some upset superiors and reassuring worried cohorts. He grabbed a quick bite to eat a little after twelve, then went straight into strategy meetings with his high-ranking agents. It was now five in the evening, and the director had just got the opportunity to sit down when he received a page from Dr. Bellum that he was needed in the laboratory, so here he was, trudging down the hallway to the elevator. The owl was utterly exhausted, and to top it all off, Hooter just realized that he hadn't had any coffee yet.

As Hooter waited for the elevator to come, he reflected on the recent turn of events. Truth be told, the situation they were facing was grim. If it wasn't handed quickly and with the utmost delicacy, it could easily spell the end of SHUSH, not to mention his career. Every one of the ideas in the strategy sessions had been shot down. It seemed as though there was nothing SHUSH could do to counteract this threat, and all of the agency's resources were useless. Well, all but one.

The elevator arrived, and the doors slid open. Hooter stepped inside and pressed the button for the lab, then went back to his thoughts. Even in light of the seriousness of the situation, the director found himself hesitating to call on this one resource. True, he had come through numerous times in the past, but dependability wasn't the issue here. Hooter just couldn't in good conscience ask this of him, not after what the agency had done, but he knew that he had to. There just wasn't any other choice. Hooter sighed. He didn't see how this day could get any worse. The doors slid back open, and Hooter stepped out into the hallway.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" The words rang out in the nearly empty hallway as a blue, smoky cloud formed next to a nearby window. "I am the leak in your top secret organization!" Darkwing stepped out of the cloud just as it finished building and stormed toward Hooter. "I am ONE ANGRY DUCK!"

"Hello Darkwing," Hooter greeted wearily. "What can I do for you?"

"You can tell me about this!" Darkwing said, tossing a silver box to the director.

Hooter caught the flying object and examined it, then sighed and massaged his temple as he recognized the portal remote. He was wrong. The day always finds a way to get worse. He looked back up at Darkwing, and saw the fury in the mallard's masked eyes. Darkwing knew exactly what it was and what it meant. "Where did you get this?" he asked.

"From Negaduck, who apparently used it to escape being sucked into oblivion, then used it to come back to have a bank robbed and kidnap a little girl! Now I would _really_ like to know why it is that SHUSH seems to have ties to the Negaverse that I knew nothing about!"

Hooter's eyes were drawn to the door of the stairs, where Darkwing's sidekick and the little red-headed girl had appeared, and he suddenly became aware of how insecure the hallway was. Darkwing apparently misinterpreted Hooter's hesitation as a reluctance to say anything in front of the pair, because he said, "Oh, they know all about it too, no thanks to Negaduck. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole bay area knows! He opened the portal where anyone and their mother's uncle down in the warehouse district could see it!"

The owl could feel the sure signs to a migraine forming as he took in what Darkwing said. This was turning into a security leak of gargantuan proportions. He sighed again, then said, "Come with me." He lead the trio to a nearby door, and let them inside. The room was an observation room, meant to give visiting dignitaries a safe place to sit and see the testing of new devices fresh from the laboratory. The room was empty for now, but Hooter could see that a new device was being tested in the laboratory on the other side of the window.

The director pointed the trio toward some chairs, then turned another chair to face them and sat down. Even in the dim lighting the anger in Darkwing's expectant face was clear. Right now Hooter would rather have been facing a FOWL interrogation than starting this conversation. He sighed. "What I'm about to tell you is not to leave this room." The owl paused, hesitating before finally going through with it. "SHUSH created the Negaverse."

Darkwing looked as though he wasn't sure that he'd heard right. "SHUSH what?!"

Launchpad leaned forward. "Wait, if you created the Negaverse, wouldn't that mean that you created Negaduck too?"

Hooter nodded. "Yes."

Darkwing could feel his anger reaching the boiling level. He slowly stood. "You mean to tell me that Negaduck, the most evil duck alive, who's almost killed me half a dozen times, was created by THIS AGENCY!!" The mallard was livid by now. "What in the world were you thinking?!!"

"If you'll sit down and calm yourself, I'll tell you."

Darkwing made a visible effort to bring his temper under control, took a deliberate breath, then sat down. It was obvious that he _really_ wanted to hear Hooter's reasons for this one.

Hooter sighed and sat back in his chair. "It wasn't meant to turn out the way it did. Two of our scientists, Dr. Tou Babel and Dr. Pam Dora, were experimenting with positrons and negatrons, trying to see if they could convert one to another. Our goal was to convert the negatrons in criminals to positrons in an effort to reform them."

"Sounds like a formula for disaster," Darkwing muttered.

The director ignored Darkwing's remark. "What we didn't know is that there's a third tron, the unitron, which acts like the DNA in stem cells, organizing the positrons and negatrons into whatever is needed based on its surroundings. When we put our test subject into a secure, air-tight containment field, sucked out all the other molecules and tried to isolate the negatrons of the subject, the unitrons panicked. With all their positrons gone and no other molecules for reference, the unitrons' instructions changed. They began to create a whole new universe within the containment field."

Launchpad suddenly spoke up. "Um, what are they doing?"

Slightly confused by the sudden change in subject, it took Hooter a minute to realize that the pilot was referring to the testing on the other side of the window. "Oh, they're just testing our newest version of the pocket-sized general purpose bomb."

"Bomb?!" Launchpad repeated, nervously backing toward the door. "Is it safe in here?!"

"Launchpad, not now!" Darkwing said through gritted teeth.

"Launchpad, they wouldn't be testing it here if it wasn't safe," Gosalyn said.

"The girl is right, it's perfectly safe here," Hooter assured him.

"Can we please stay on topic here!" Darkwing cried.

Hooter nodded. "Yes of course. Where was I?"

"The trons were creating a whole new universe," Gosalyn said excitedly. It was clear that she was taking an interest in this as well.

"Of course. Well, when things finally calmed down inside the containment field, all that was visible was a green doorway of sorts. As soon as we shut down the field, the doorway disappeared, and that was the last we saw of it. We assumed that once the completed alternate universe was exposed to the real universe, it realized it wasn't needed and self-destructed; that is, until you reported your experience in the Negaverse. It was then that we realized that this alternate universe was thriving, and that Negaduck was also a product of our failed experiment.

Hooter paused again, and Gosalyn took advantage of his stop to say, "Man, this is just like Attack of the Giant Mutant Earthworms IX! Except in that movie, the scientist was smart enough to blow up the other universe before the worms attacked them."

The owl smiled at the duckling's comment. "Unfortunately, our scientists hadn't seen that movie when they conducted this experiment."

"I still don't get something," Darkwing said. "How did Negaduck get through? And how was it that he managed to get a hold of remote that SHUSH created for a universe that you didn't think existed anymore?"

"We're not exactly how Negaduck managed to cross over to this universe, or even how he found out about it, but our guess is that a natural portal was formed between our universe and the Negaverse, which you later discovered in the bakery. We're assuming that Negaduck either discovered it or just knew about it because of how the Negaverse was formed, and used it to his advantage. As to the remote, that was what we used to create the containment field. Negaduck managed to steal it from our laboratory safe about a month and a half ago. We're assuming that it had the ability to reopen the portal as well, we just didn't know about it."

"So, uh, what does all this mean?" Launchpad asked, still trying to wrap his mind around what Hooter had said.

"It means that SHUSH made a big mistake," Darkwing said, his anger still showing in his voice.

"Can't you like, blow it up or something, like they did in the movie?" Gosalyn asked.

"Actually our best bet is to make transport between the two universes impossible, so that not even a remote will work. We've only recently perfected the device to do just that."

"Well why haven't you used it?" Darkwing asked. "It would certainly make my job easier if Negaduck would stay in his own universe."

Hooter sighed. "The way it works, we have to activate it in both universes, but unfortunately none of our agents seem to be able to pass through the portal. We believe that the doctors' choice in test subject may have made it so that only certain people can transport between universes."

"What people? What was your test subject?" Darkwing asked.

Hooter hesitated before finally answering. "Namely, you and Negaduck. It was one of your feathers."

Darkwing hit the roof. " ONE OF MY FEATHERS!!!" he yelled, leaping out of his chair. "You used one of MY feathers without MY permission in an experiment that for all you knew could have affected the rest of me just as much?! After all the times I've helped you, you steal one of my feathers when you could have used something else without a problem?!"

Outwardly Hooter remained impassive under the masked mallard's rant, but inwardly he was cringing, the truth of each word stabbing into him like a knife. He'd had this rant himself when he discovered what Babble and Dora had used, but when it came down to it, Hooter was the director, and he should have looked over the experiment more thoroughly to catch things like this. Now every time he heard a news report about Negaduck doing this or that, or when Darkwing had told him about his experience in the Negaverse, these things attacked his conscience with a vengeance, because he knew that he could have prevented them, and didn't. Not only that, but his scientists easily could have run a DNA test on the feather to find out the vigilante's true identity. SHUSH had needlessly put Darkwing's life on the line, so he sat unflinching as Darkwing's rant reached volumes that were usually reserved for artillery and nuclear weapons and quietly waited for the mallard to run out of steam, which the hero did, after about five minutes. Darkwing plopped back down into his seat and tried to catch his breath. Hooter took advantage of the quiet and turned to Launchpad and Gosalyn. "Would you two please excuse us?"

Launchpad nodded eagerly, his wide eyes again fixed on the scene inside the testing room. Hooter took a quick look and saw the scientists lighting the fuse to the bomb. When he turned back, Launchpad and the little girl were just disappearing through the door, the pilot practically dragging the duckling in his rush to get away from the bomb. The owl wanted to chuckle. Who'd have thought that the sidekick of the renowned Darkwing Duck would be such a coward?

The owl looked back at Darkwing, bringing himself back to the topic at hand. The vigilante had blown through most of his anger, and while it was obvious that he still wasn't happy, it didn't look as though he was going to explode again. It made the director's next comment a little easier. "Darkwing, I have to ask something of you that I have no right to ask, something that you would be well within your rights to refuse. SHUSH has received a tip that Negaduck is going to make a move against not just St. Canard, but our entire universe. Our source tells us that he plans to strike without warning, and that that the last time he tried with the Fearsome Five is nothing compared to this next attack. We know now that he's in the Negaverse, and we believe that he plans to use the Negaverse to his advantage here. I'm asking you—no, I need you to go to the Negaverse and cut off his way here before he makes his move."

The hero's face went flat. "No," he said stonily, his eyes completely devoid of emotion. He got up to leave.

"Darkwing, please wait! You're the only one who is able to go through the portal to do this, and you're the only one who's ever defeated Negaduck. If you don't do this, then there is no way we can do anything to prevent his attack. My agents spent all afternoon trying to come up with something, and got nothing. Darkwing please reconsider!"

The hero paused, his hand on the doorknob, and turned back to face Hooter. "There is nothing you can say or give me that will ever persuade me to go back there. Now if you will excuse me." He turned back and started to pull the door open, but suddenly froze, his gaze locked on something on the other side of the door's small window. He remained that way, completely motionless, for almost half a minute. Concerned, the director was about to ask if Darkwing was alright when he turned back to the owl. "Okay, J. Gander. When do I leave?"

Hooter was completely baffled by the hero's sudden change in heart, but wasn't about to let it go to waste. "As soon as you're ready. I'll take you over to our labs and show you how to work the portal remote and YMD." He got up out of his chair and started to walk over to the vigilante.

"YMD?" Darkwing asked, pulling open the door.

"It's the device you'll use to stop transport between universes." They walked out of the observation room into the hallway, where Launchpad and Gosalyn eagerly met them. "Go ahead and head down to the laboratory; I'll join you in a second." Darkwing started down the hallway, followed by his sidekick and the red-head, who were already shooting question at him about what was going on.

Hooter went over to a nearby intercom and paged his secretary. "Susan, would you please have some coffee sent down to the lab for me? I'm going to need it."

Two cups of coffee later, Darkwing was almost finished learning about the remote. "Just remember," Dr. Sarah Bellum admonished, "the portal will stand open until either you shut it down with the remote or go through it. Once someone has passed through, the portal closes on itself automatically."

"Okay, so what about the YMD?" the masked mallard asked.

Dr. Bellum held the typewriter-sized box so the vigilante could see it. "It's actually remarkably simple. You turn on the device, press this button here, and within five seconds, inter-universe transportation is no longer possible."

"Wait, only five seconds? How am I supposed to get back?"

"Well, you'll need to have the portal open and waiting, and as soon as the device is activated, you'll have to get through. The device will shut down the portal even if you haven't gone through it yet."

"Not exactly much room for error," Darkwing muttered.

"Oh you'll be fine!" Dr. Bellum assured him. "But even if you didn't make it through, you'd get the chance to see the YMD activate! How much I'd love to see that!"

"You haven't even turned it on?" Darkwing exclaimed, his voice coming out in a high pitched squeak. "How do you even know this is going to work?!"

"Oh trust me, it'll work," Dr Bellum said dismissively. "You have to code into the YMD though to turn it on. To do that you press the keys in this order: IATTTFITN. Got it?"

Darkwing finished his hurried scribble. "Got it."

Hooter approached the pair. "Just get in and back out as fast as you can. If you play it right, you may only have to be there for five minutes."

Darkwing nodded. "Anything else I need to know?"

Hooter hesitated, then shook his head. "No. You should be good to go."

"We need to activate the portal in here," Dr. Bellum said, picking up the remote and heading into a test room. She entered the command, then pointed it at an empty section of wall. Almost instantly, the sound that Gosalyn had heard in the warehouse became audible as a small green orb began to form near the walls. The sound grew as the orb increased in size, until the noise became almost unbearable. Then suddenly the sound stopped, and the orb just hovered near the wall, the size of a beach ball.

"You may want to step back," Dr. Bellum suggested. The group moved back toward the door. Suddenly the orb swelled, and a green lightning bolt shot out, striking the ceiling a few feet away and causing some of the group to jump. More followed, striking in all directions, but what was more arresting was the fact that the orb was changing shape, the sphere slowly stretching into a thin rectangle that reached for the floor. As the rectangle grew longer, the lightning bolts grew shorter and less frequent, until finally when the rectangle touched the ground, they disappeared altogether. The room was quiet, and the portal that they had seen earlier stood before them.

"It's ready when you are," Hooter said.

Darkwing nodded. "Give me a minute." He turned to Gosalyn and Launchpad, who all this time had been watching quietly from the sidelines, and gave them a nervous smile. "Well, I guess this is good-bye for now."

Gosalyn rushed forward and grabbed him tightly around the waist, enfolding him in a giant hug. "Be careful Darkwing," the duckling said, her voice wavering slightly with emotion.

"I will." Darkwing pulled out of the embrace. "Now you be good and make sure you follow all of your parents' rules." The red-head made her displeasure clear, but the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth said she got the coded message. Whether she followed it or not, well, that remained to be seen.

Darkwing turned to his sidekick. "Look after her LP."

The pilot nodded. "You got it, DW."

Darkwing tucked the remote into his jacket, picked up the YMD, then stepped toward the portal. He made a show of straightening his hat, then turned back to the worried faces watching him. "Hey, I'm only going to be gone five minutes. What could happen?" With the bravest, most determined look he could muster, he turned and stepped through the portal.

Instantly the laboratory disappeared, and for one horribly disorienting second the mallard was surrounded by the green fogginess of the portal. Then the fog pulled back behind him and Darkwing suddenly found himself face to face with a roomful of armed men, all of them pointing their weapons directly at him.

"Uh-oh," the mallard whispered. The portal closed behind him.


	4. A Nightmare Realized

Darkwing stood absolutely rigid, afraid that a single twitch would result with a dozen new holes in his costume. "Well, well, well, Darkwing, we've been expecting you," a familiar voice said. _No, it couldn't be!_

The crowd of armed goons parted, as a short, gray-haired owl stepped forward. "Negaduck said you'd be coming."

Darkwing couldn't believe it! Standing before him was the mirror image of J. Gander Hooter! His face bore a few more wrinkles, his eyes were darker, and his expression looked to be a perpetual scowl, but it was Hooter alright. The owl approached him. "I'll take that," that, he said, indicating the YMD. "And the portal remote."

Darkwing desperately tried to think of an escape. There was no where that he could run, the slightest hint of aggression would probably end with him as a piece of Swiss cheese, and the only object in the dark, dingy room was an old utility scaffolding out of reach behind the armed mob, but he knew he couldn't lose his precious cargo! A slight breeze rustled the brim of his hat. He smiled.

"Okay, you win, J. Gander," Darkwing said, feigning resignation. "Just let me pull out the remote for you." The mallard reached into his jacket, but instead of going for the portal remote, the vigilante grabbed his gas gun. With lightning speed, Darkwing ripped out the gun and shot it into the air. The grappling hook flew toward the ceiling and caught the fan directly above the mallard, yanking him into the air before any of the goons could react.

They didn't remain stupefied for long though. "Open fire!" the Negaverse Hooter cried. Bullets tore through the air as the room erupted with gunfire. The fan spun Darkwing around in a dizzying circle over the heads of the goons as bullets embedded themselves in the ceiling all around him, but his constant movement made it almost impossible to aim. The mallard clung tightly to the YMD, fighting down the urge to shut his eyes as the world whirled past, and tried to focus on the blurred objects. _3…2…1…Now! _ Darkwing released the grappling hook, sending himself flying through the flurry of bullets to the scaffolding.

The mallard hit the scaffolding in a roll, but was up on his feet and running in seconds as the gunfire turned his way. Suddenly Darkwing felt a tremor go through the scaffolding, and before he could react, one end of the scaffolding collapsed, sending the vigilante rolling head over heels towards the window in front of him. Unable to stop himself, Darkwing crashed through the glass, and with a terrified scream found himself plummeting downwards, the ground rising quickly to meet him.

Instinctively, Darkwing twisted his body round in the air and curled protectively around the YMD. A second later, Darkwing hit the ground. Pain shot through his body as the shock of the impact reverberated through his frame, knocking the air from his lungs and bringing tears to his eyes.

Darkwing lay there for a second, completely stunned, before he slowly rolled onto his side with a groan. This was the second time he'd managed to break his fall with his spine. He desperately hoped that it was not going to become a habit.

As the mallard slowly climbed to his feet, he saw Hooter's goons pour through a nearby door. Forgetting the aches each movement produced, Darkwing scooped the YMD back up and shot a smoke bomb at his feet, enveloping himself in the thick blue smoke just as the goons were leveling their guns at him.

Darkwing looked back over his shoulder as he cut through the bottom level of a nearby broken-down parking garage and saw the cloud torn apart by another shower of bullets, and noted with relief that none of the goons seemed to caught on to his escape route. The mallard kept moving though, trying to get as much distance between him and that armed mob as possible, until he finally stopped to catch his breath five blocks later.

The vigilante leaned against a brick building for support, bending over as his breaths came out in sharp gasps. He placed a hand to his aching side, and was met with a stabbing pain. Oh man, trying to run around the Negaverse with some bruised or maybe cracked ribs was just going to be a joy.

The Negaverse. With all that had happened, it hadn't actually been able to sink in yet. Darkwing slowly straightened back up and looked around. As he noticed for the first time the thick, noxious air filling his lungs and the hazy air surrounding the decaying city, memories of his last visit washed over him in a cold rush. The tower, Launchpad, the Muddlefoots, the barbeque… The mallard started to tremble.

_Focus!_ Darkwing scolded himself. _Why are you here?_ The image of his daughter replaced the scene at the Muddlefoots'. Gosalyn. She was the only thing that had kept him in the Negaverse, and she was the only thing in the world that could induce him to go back. At first when J. Gander had asked him, Darkwing had been ready to just walk out and leave the director to handle his own mess. But just before he opened the door, he caught sight of his daughter in the hallway, and realized that if Negaduck did succeed in this stunt of his, it would mean that Gosalyn would be living under his evil rule in a world that would quickly become as broken-down and decrepit as this one. That was a thought he couldn't take.

Darkwing looked at the YMD tucked under his arm. He needed a place where he wouldn't be disturbed to reactivate the portal, and with SHUSH, or whatever it was called here, aware of his presence, that was going to be difficult. The mallard tried to think of places Negaduck wouldn't think to look for him. His home and the tower were definitely out, he knew he shouldn't try any of the old warehouses that Negaduck liked to frequent back in his universe, and it was a safe bet that Negaduck knew all about the other supervillians' hideouts. So where should he go? With St. Canard in the state it was, Darkwing had no clue what areas of the city were full of people or abandoned. Then an idea struck him, and the more he considered it, the better it seemed. He just needed to be able to get there without being spotted.

Finally decided, the masked mallard started to make his way through the underbelly of the city.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Darkwing reached his destination. By this time the sun had disappeared, the red-glare of city lights reflecting of clouds of pollution taking its place, and the lowlifes of the city were starting to come out. He probably would have been able to get there a lot faster, but the pain in his side made ordinary things like walking and breathing more difficult.

Darkwing really missed his motorcycle. Not only could he have got there sooner, he could have been back in his own bed by now if he had the Ratcatcher to aid him, but he realized that it was probably a good thing he didn't have the bike. Twice on his journey, Darkwing had almost run into SHUSH goons, but using his stealth skills and quite a lot of blind luck, the hero had managed to avoid being seen. He probably wouldn't have been so fortunate with his rather unique motorcycle to attract attention.

The mallard surveyed the room he was in. Cracks ran up the walls, the only window in the room was broken, and the safe door hung on its hinges, revealing an empty interior. The smell of mildew hung heavily in the air, and Darkwing noticed with disgust that the carpet was molding in some areas, but in spite of all of this, it still resembled the original bank he remembered. This was the room that, in Darkwing's St. Canard, Megavolt had hit him with the tronsplitter, where Negaduck, though not quite in this form, had first existed. Darkwing found poetic justice in the fact that he was going to use the same location Negaduck had, in essence, been born in to destroy the evil duck's designs on his universe. Darkwing was a sucker for poetic justice.

"Okay, now to work," the mallard said out loud. Setting down the YMD, Darkwing reached into his jacket and pulled out the portal remote. Following the instructions Dr. Bellum had given him, Darkwing began the process of turning on and entering the commands for creating the portal bubble. "Flip the red switch, push the green and yellow buttons, then enter 960," Darkwing said to himself as he pushed the buttons. He paused. "Or was it 690?" The hero thought about it a minute, trying to remember exactly what Dr. Bellum had said. He was pretty sure that it was 960, but the mallard was a little worried about what might happen if he entered the wrong numbers in. For all he knew, the thing could have a built in security system and blow itself up when the wrong buttons were pressed. Knowing Sarah Bellum, it probably did.

He was still pretty sure it was 960 though. Deciding just to go for it, Darkwing entered the numbers in, and braced himself for the explosion. He was quite pleased a few tense seconds later to find that the device didn't self-destruct, and he was still in one piece. The remote began to grow even warmer than it already was, which according to Dr. Bellum, was an indicator that it was ready to generate the bubble. All he had to do now was push "Enable". Darkwing aimed the remote at a section of wall to the right of the safe, and moved his finger to press the button.

"Do it, and it'll be the last move you make," a familiar voice growled from behind him.

Darkwing sighed and lowered the remote. "Negaduck," he greeted. "Done with your nightly therapy session already? I really think you should talk to your psychiatrist about lengthening your visits."

Negaduck chuckled, moving round to where Darkwing could see him and the shotgun he was holding. "Really Darkwing, petty insults? I didn't realize you'd attained that level of intelligence yet. Now, slowly put the remote and your gas gun on the ground and step back. And don't try any hair-brained stunts like that one you pulled on J. Gander, because my finger is just itching to pull this trigger."

Darkwing complied. He ever so gently set the remote on the ground, then slowly pulled out his gas gun and put it next to it, then backed away. "How'd you find me?" he asked, trying to buy some time to come up with a plan.

Negaduck kicked the gas gun away. "Oh, come on Dorkwing, did you really think I wouldn't think to look here? As soon as I heard that those imbeciles at SHUSH at lost you, I knew you would come here, so I just waited for you to show up." Darkwing noticed with curiosity that Negaduck seemed to be holding himself rather stiffly. He quickly pushed his questions aside though, trying to stay focused on keeping Negaduck going. The beginnings of an idea were forming.

"No back up this time?" the Darkwing asked, knowing the slight on Negaduck's abilities would irritate his double.

"I won't need backup!" the evil duck sneered. "Because this is going to be quick and easy." He raised the shotgun so it was aimed directly at Darkwing's chest. "Any last words?"

Darkwing smiled. "Yes. Look!! A cute fuzzy bunny!!" he suddenly yelled, pointing in the direction of the door.

"Where?!" Negaduck cried, shooting blindly at the door area.

Darkwing quickly leaped forward and hit Negaduck squarely in the chest with his patented web kick, knocking the duck back and loosening his hold on the shotgun. Darkwing tore the weapon from the surprised duck's grasp and threw it out the broken window, and turned back to Negaduck just in time to see his fist come crashing into his face. Darkwing staggered backward under the blow, and tried to block as Negaduck sent a swift kick to his side, but only partially succeeded, the force of the kick driving his arm into his sore ribs. The mallard yelped as the sudden pain exploded in his side, but quickly pushed it aside as Negaduck sent another kick toward his middle. Deftly stepping to the right, he blocked again, this time causing Negaduck's overextended kick to throw off his balance, and allowing Darkwing to send another web kick right into Negaduck's exposed stomach. This time Negaduck completely lost his already compromised balance, and went flying backwards, landing on the floor with a resounding _crunch._

Darkwing froze, horrified as he realized what had just happened. Negaduck scrambled back onto his feet, and lunged at his double with an angry growl. Darkwing, still distracted, saw the punch too late, and was knocked to the ground as Negaduck's fist connected with his beak. His head hit the wall as he fell, causing the mallard to see stars as he straddled the line between consciousness and unconsciousness. Finally succumbing to the blackness that pulled at him, the last thing Darkwing saw before completely blacking out was the crushed remains of the portal remote at Negaduck's feet.

* * *

_Author's Note: I was pretty pleased with how this chapter turned out, considering that most of it was written during my normal sleeping hours. Hopefully it makes up for the excessive dialogue in the previous chapter. _


	5. Schemes

**Author's Note: **Sorry I took so long to get this chapter done. I've had a lot of things to do lately. Thank you for all your reviews! I can't tell you how much I enjoy getting feedback from you. Just a warning to anyone who may care, this chapter gets a little more intense than the others I've written. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

When Darkwing came to himself, the first thing he was aware of was the throbbing pain in the back of his head. The second thing he noticed was that he couldn't move his hands to assuage that pain. They were tied firmly behind him. Then he remembered what'd happened, the fight with Negaduck in the bank and the portal remote getting smashed, and quickly opened his eyes, squinting at the sudden light but desperately needing to know where he was.

A single glance was enough to tell him everything he needed to know. There was only one place in the world that would use an enormous pendulum of doom to keep time and have a gigantic hammer poised to smash whatever poor unsuspecting person came through the main door. He was back at Negaduck's hideout, tied to a chair in almost the exact spot Negaduck had put him on his last visit. And sitting off to the side, watching his every movement, was Negaduck himself.

The evil duck noticed Darkwing's gaze settle on him, and stood. "Well, well, well, Dorkwing, you're finally awake," he said, approaching his captive. "You've only been out for almost two hours." Darkwing noticed again that his double seemed to be moving rather stiffly. Maybe he'd been able to score a few good hits in their fight after all.

"What's your rush?" Darkwing replied snidely. "Afraid I'll sleep through whatever devious death you have planned for me?" Behind the chair, Darkwing tried to reach his buzz saw cuff links. His fingers searched the lower part of his sleeves, but didn't find anything. The hero sighed inwardly. He should have guessed Negaduck would remove them. He was going to have to buy some time to work the knot now.

Negaduck chuckled. "Oh no, I just thought you might want to see the show."

"What are you talking about?" Darkwing demanded. His fingers finally found the knot, and began the arduous process of trying to loosen it with only the two fingers that could get to it. "You're not going to squish me, or vaporize me, or boil me with oil or something?"

"Oh no, I'm going to kill you. But first," the duck continued with a smile, "you get the honor of witnessing my takeover of your universe."

"Only in your dreams!" Darkwing shot back defiantly.

"You're so utterly predictable!" Negaduck replied, a hint of distaste in his voice. "But you see, my confused compatriot, it is _you_ who has made my takeover possible. You've played perfectly into my hands."

"What are you talking about you demented doorknob?" He felt part an almost imperceptible loosening of one part of the knot.

"I'm talking," Negaduck said with a sinister smile, "about the global domination of your world. Soon, you'll be nothing but a distant memory, and with you gone, my takeover will go down without a hitch. When I gave you that portal remote yesterday, I knew you would take it straight to SHUSH to demand an explanation, and SHUSH, thanks to an 'anonymous' tip they received, would do everything within its power to get you to come here and, how would they say it, 'cut off my way there'." Negaduck snorted. "J. Gander Hooter is as predictable as you are."

"You're deluding yourself!" Darkwing said. "Even if by some _extraordinary_ stroke of luck you did manage to get rid of me, SHUSH would never let you get away with it!"

"Oh, but they won't have a choice!" He walked over to a nearby table where the YMD was sitting and picked it up. "You know what this little baby is?"

"That's the thing I'm going to use to trap you here in your own universe," Darkwing answered confidently. He'd managed to get a finger through the center of the knot. Only a few more minutes…

Negaduck made an error noise. "Wrong! It's actually the gadget I'm going to use to take over _your_ universe. You see when I broke into SHUSH's laboratory safe to steal the portal remote you oh so conveniently managed to destroy for me, I saw the plans for this. A few minor alterations that no one would notice, and I effectively transformed this thing from a portal disrupter to a universe disrupter. Now, if activated, it'll completely destroy the universe it's in."

Darkwing was aghast and horrified at the same time. He'd been minutes away from turning the thing on when Negaduck had shown up. "You mean to tell me you'd blow up an entire universe to get what you want?" The knot was finally coming undone.

"And this surprises you?" Negaduck said. He clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "My, my, my, Darkwing, and here I thought we knew each other better than that."

With relief, Darkwing felt the ropes loosen as the knot came apart. Now all he needed was the opportune moment to attack. There was no way he was going to let this homicidal maniac leave this room, much less leave this universe. "But wait," he asked as an idea occurred to him, "how are you going to get there? You sat on the portal remote I was using."

Negaduck smiled. "Yes, but I never said that was the only one. I made a duplicate." Then just as Darkwing had hoped, Negaduck turned away to retrieve said duplicate, giving Darkwing just the opportunity he needed. With lightning speed, the mallard leaped out of the chair, sending the loose ropes flying, and delivered a flying side kick to the back of the unsuspecting Negaduck. The surprised duck fell forward with a cry, landing hard on the floor.

Darkwing moved quickly to follow up with his knockout blow, but Negaduck moved faster. The evil duck rolled onto his back and kicked out with both feet, catching Darkwing in the midsection and sending him flying across the room into the wall. Fortunately he'd lost most of his momentum by the time he hit, but the impact was enough to knock the breath out of him. Negaduck came at him, a hand clutched to his side and fury in his eyes. Darkwing quickly rolled away from the flying kick that came his way and jumped to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his gas gun, lying on a shelf across the room. He deflected another kick from Negaduck and grabbed the chair he'd been tied to and threw it at Negaduck, knocking him backward, then went for his gas gun.

Suddenly something came crashing down on his head, and his vision blurred as he hit the ground. Someone grabbed the collar of his suit and started to drag him backwards. Darkwing shook his head, frantically trying to clear the fogginess that gripped his mind. The person thrust him into a corner of the room and a glass shield went up, trapping him. His vision cleared, and Darkwing saw Negaduck standing triumphantly on the other side of the glass. Beyond him, laying on the ground, Darkwing saw the reason for his throbbing headache: a ten pound anvil. Of course. What super villain _wouldn't_ have an anvil rigged up somewhere in their secret hideout. He must have accidently set off the trip wire while going for his gas gun. The vigilante sighed. He was getting tired of losing to Negaduck because of accidental impacts with his head.

"Well Darkwing, as much as you may want to, you're not going to ruin my plans," Negaduck said. He went over and retrieved the portal remote then turned back to face Darkwing. "I was going to tell you all the juicy details of my plan, but now I think I'm just going to leave you here to ponder the possibilities of what may happen to your precious St. Canard. " The duck pointed toward his pendulum clock. "In exactly five hours, the TV set mounted in the corner of the room will come on, broadcasting my takeover for you to see. Ten minutes later, this chamber you're locked in is going to fill with a special gas concoction of mine, quite poisonous I assure you. Three minutes after that, you'll be dead." Negaduck gave a final, victorious smile. "So suck gas, do-gooder."

The evil mallard retrieved the YMD and his portal remote, and headed for the door, carefully sidestepping the target zone of the Negahammer. Just before going through, he turned back, and gave a mock bow. "So long Darkwing! It's been great defeating you." Then he was gone.

* * *

It had reached that time where night begins its transition to morning, both of them merging to create that slow change that goes almost entirely unnoticed until it's complete. The faintest hints of dawn were beginning to appear on the horizon, yet the darkness of night still enveloped the sky. The city streets were almost empty, the skyscrapers were dark, and the normal sounds of the city bustle had long ago quieted to a dull hum. St. Canard and its inhabitants were asleep.

Well, most of its inhabitants. Alone in his office, J. Gander Hooter was brooding over yet another cup of coffee. SHUSH had emptied out hours ago, leaving only a skeleton crew and those currently involved in missions in the building. Even Susan, his faithful secretary who rarely went home before him, had finally left. The director remained in his office though, unwilling to go home until he knew someone else could too.

Darkwing had been gone for more than nine hours. At first, Hooter, Launchpad, and Gosalyn had just sat around the lab chatting, expecting the hero to just activate the YMD and come straight back. But as the minutes turned to hours, their carefree chatter had turned into a worried silence. Hooter had finally sent Launchpad and Gosalyn home at ten, promising to notify them as soon as Darkwing was back. It was now just after six, and there was still no sign of the hero.

_You should have told him_, the accusing thought rang in his head. _He deserved to know._ Yes, he did deserve to know. The problem was that he had been expressly forbidden to tell him. His superiors, after being informed of the situation, had granted him permission to divulge whatever information he deemed necessary to have the situation resolved, except that. In their eyes, that information could be enough to have many public officials thrown out of office if leaked to the media, including Hooter. To be honest though, Hooter would have told Darkwing in a heartbeat if he'd thought it would cause the mallard any danger, orders or not. The owl had pictured a short mission though, with the hero in and back in five minutes, and so he didn't see that the information would be necessary. Now he wasn't so sure. Hooter sighed. There were times that he hated working for the government.

The owl took another sip of his coffee just as a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Gryzzlikof poked his head in. "Sir, that small girl and sidekick of Darkwing Duck are here."

Hooter nodded. "Send them in." They were certainly here earlier than he'd expected.

The door opened the rest of the way and the bear ushered Gosalyn and Launchpad in. The duckling rushed up to his desk and burst out, "Is Darkwing back yet?"

"No, Darkwing has not returned yet," the owl answered, watching as Gosalyn's face fell.

"Well what's taking him so long? I thought you said this was going to be a short mission!"

Launchpad spoke up. "Yeah, he's been gone all night. Can't you contact him or something?"

Hooter shook his head. "I wish I could, but we haven't figured out how to do that yet. I'm sure that-"

"Director!" Gryzzlikof said, bursting back into the room and making a beeline for the television. "You will be wanting to see this!" The TV came on, and to J. Gander's horror, Negaduck appeared on the screen.

"Greetings, St. Canard," the mallard said. "For any of you who have been living under a rock, this is Negaduck, leader of the Fearsome Five, ruler of the Negaverse, and all-around terror to anything cute and cuddly. I have an announcement to make. Effectively immediately, I am taking over this universe." Those in the room gaped at each other in shock.

"That's right, you heard me. I am taking over the universe. All world leaders will yield their positions to me at once. I expect all weapons, especially those of mass destruction, to be turned in to a designated location, and all money to be delivered to the St. Canard tower. And don't even think about trying to resist or come after me. I have with me a device, known to some as a YMD, that is capable of totally destroying this universe with a single keystroke. If I see any resistance, even from a single person, I will activate the YMD and return to the Negaverse, leaving you all to face your gruesome death.

"You have exactly 48 hours to comply, and I wouldn't waste time if I were you, because there is _no one _in this world who can stop me." The television screen went blank, leaving the room in a shocked silence.

* * *

Darkwing felt the cold fist of fear grip his heart as the broadcast ended. He'd failed. His Gosalyn was going to have to live under that tyrant because he'd let that duck win, or she was going to die. It was all his fault. He had been their only hope, and he blew it. The duck sank to the ground, grief overwhelming him. Negaduck had won.

He looked back up at the gigantic clock. There was only three more minutes before the glass chamber filled with gas. Three more minutes, and he was going to have to explain to God why he'd subjected an entire universe to the whim of a madman.

_Get a grip! _a voice in Darkwing's mind said. _You still have three minutes! Don't waste them in self-pity! There's still a chance!_

The voice was right. Let no one say that Darkwing Duck would go out without a fight! It was time to get dangerous! Darkwing jumped back up to his feet, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had to get out of here. He'd already tried using brute force, and Negaduck had taken all his gadgets, including his acid capsules. The hero decided to try something a little more original. "Help!!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Heelllpppp!" Okay, so it wasn't the most dignified thing for a hero to do, but when all else has failed…

"Help!!" Darkwing yelled again. "Somebody, help!!" He looked at the clock. Only one minute left.

Suddenly he heard a thump, and the sound of voices reached the mallard's ears. "In here!!" Darkwing called.

The door opened, and Darkwing's hope came crashing down as he saw who it was. Just then there was a soft _whoosh_, and the glass chamber quickly began to fill with a thick, yellow gas. Darkwing quickly held his breath as the gas continued to pour in, obscuring his vision and making his skin tingle. He kicked at the glass again, knowing how unlikely it was that it break but also realizing that he would die unless it did. His lungs felt as though they would burst, and he began to see spots dance in front of his eyes. Finally, unable to hold his breath any longer, the mallard let it go.

At once, a pungent, pepper-like smell filled his nostrils, and a wave of dizziness washed over him as nausea rose in his stomach. He began to panic, and he threw himself at the glass shield, desperate to escape the yellow clouds surrounding him. The glass held firm, bouncing the mallard off to the floor. Darkwing's breathing was rapid, but each breath became harder and harder as he felt his throat begin to constrict. He tried to stand, tried to once again attack the glass holding him in, but his muscles refused to obey. His vision blurred, and Darkwing felt his life leaking away as his intake of air dwindled.

Then suddenly he was back home, in his own St. Canard. The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hung in the air, and sunlight streamed through the living room window, filling the house with the warmth and light of summer. He turned and saw Gosalyn come bounding down the stairs, her arms open wide as she jumped on him for a great big hug. He swung her around, their laughter filling the room.

A near convulsion yanked him away from her, back to the glass chamber. He couldn't breathe. His chest burned, and his oxygen-starved mind began to shut down. A sense of peace washed over him, stilling the urges to escape. Blackness began to pull at the edge of his vision.

A horrible, ugly face swam into view, teasing him as it took the face of a gas mask. But Darkwing didn't care anymore. The blackness took over, erasing the face and the billows of yellow gas, and sending Darkwing's world into nothingness.


	6. An Impossible Decision

"How did he get here?!" Gosalyn asked.

"Yeah, and what happened to DW?" Launchpad added.

"Director, what is it we are going to do?" Gryzzlikof said.

They all looked at Hooter, hoping that he had all the answers and would know exactly what needed to happen. But the director had no such encouragement to give, because he knew exactly how Negaduck got here. Darkwing had failed. For the first time since Hooter had known him, Darkwing Duck had failed a mission. It was also possible that the hero had been killed in his attempt, a thought that burned a whole in Hooter's heart. If what Dr. Pam Dora told him was correct though, Darkwing was still alive. The owl hoped she was right.

At the moment though, the director had a pressing matter at hand, the answer to which Gryzzlikof, Launchpad, and Gosalyn were still waiting for, and for which he had only 48 hours to come up with. He looked up at them, keeping his expression cool and collected. "I'm not sure exactly how Negaduck got here, but the fact is, he's here. Agent Gryzlikof," he said, turning to the bear, "track down Dr. Bellum and have her determine if the YMD can do what Negaduck is claiming. Then convene a meeting in the conference room with all of our available agents in exactly one hour. I'll contact the vice president and see how he wants us to proceed."

The agent nodded. "Yes, Director." He immediately left to tend to his tasks.

Hooter looked back at Launchpad and Gosalyn. "You two are welcome to stay. SHUSH is a very secure building, and you'll be safe here while everything is happening. If you like, you can even contact your families and have them come in."

The pair glanced at each other, but didn't respond to the director's offer. Instead, Gosalyn looked into the owl's face and asked with pleading eyes, "But what about Darkwing?"

Hooter sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "There's a good chance that he's alright, but Negaduck managed to get through, and there's only the one portal remote. Darkwing may be stuck in the Negaverse for now."

The girl didn't respond, but Hooter saw the strength of hope shining in her eyes. The director wished he shared that hope.

* * *

_How long's it been? _a voice asked, reaching Darkwing through the black abyss that engulfed him.

_Almost two hours,_ another replied. _The antidote takes a while to completely neutralize the effects of the gas._

_Will 'e be alright? _The voice sounded oddly familiar.

_It's hard to say. He'd taken a lot of the poison into his system before you were able to get him out, and I've never had a patient that came from Negaduck's tower survive. This one may have just been in the nick of time though. _

The voices stopped for a minute, and the beeping of what sounded like a heart beat monitor became audible. Darkwing became aware of a hand gripping his wrist, the fingers pressing into his vein. Along with that sensation came many others, most of which were unpleasant. A headache the size of Wisconsin throbbed in his head, it felt as though Scooge's money vault was sitting directly on top of his chest, and his throat couldn't have been more raw if someone had taken a cheese grater to it. The stabbing pain in his side was still present, and to top it all off, his entire body ached. More than anything, Darkwing just wanted to return to the black abyss he came from, where all these aches and pains would just disappear. Something inside him though wouldn't let him. There was this urgent feeling rising in him, telling him that he needed to wake up, that he had something really important to do.

Darkwing slowly started to open his eyes to see where he was, but quickly shut them again, nearly crying out as the light caused pain to explode in his head. "Did yous see dat?"one of the voices asked.

"What?" the other replied.

"I t'ought I saw 'is eyes flicker open for just a second."

"Are you sure?"

"What do yous take me for? I ain't a complete imbecile!" With a sense of dismay, Darkwing recognized the voice. _Of course. Why wouldn't it be him?_ The urge to wake up became more urgent then ever.

"Mr. Darkwing? Can you hear me?" the other voice asked, leaning in close to his face. Something pulled one of his eyelids open, causing his migraine to increase ten-fold as the light shone in his eyes. He moaned and tried to turn his head away.

"He's awake!" the person in his face said. "Quick, turn off the lights! They're bothering him."

It was with great relief that Darkwing noticed the lights go off a few seconds later. He opened his eyes, and turned to face the pair in the room, illuminated only by the feeble light of a nearby computer. He immediately felt for his mask, making sure that they hadn't taken advantage of his condition to learn his secret identity. The mallard was relieved to find it was still firmly in place.

"It's about time!" Steelbeak said, placing his hands on his hips. "We've been waitin' for yous to wake up"

"Don't worry, we left your mask alone," the other person said, having noticed Darkwing checking. The lab coat and stethoscope he was wearing indicated he was a doctor, but on the pocket of his coat, alongside the name Dr. Stine, was the FOWL logo. Darkwing was in the middle of a F.O.W.L. compound. "How do you feel?" the doctor asked.

Darkwing ignored his question. "Where am I?" His usual voice had degraded to a harsh rasp.

"At da St. Canard FOWL headquarters. We intercepted a message Negaduck sent to SHUSH telling J. Gander dat he'd caught ya' and was going to take care of da rest. There's only one place Negaduck takes people to "take care of 'em", and dat's his tower. Fortunately we were just in time to save ya."

_That's right_. Darkwing remembered seeing Steelbeak just before the chamber had filled with gas, and he vaguely recalled seeing someone with a gas mask just before passing out. He also remembered quite vividly his near death in the chamber, and Negaduck's broadcast just before. Now he realized why he felt this urgent need to get out of here. But first things first, he needed to get a handle on what was happening here.

"What do you want with me?" Darkwing asked.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, and a figure stood silhouetted in the light of the hallway. Darkwing turned away, his head beginning to feel as though someone was pounding on it with a mallet. "Shut dat door!" Steelbeak snapped.

"Oh, sorry," the visitor answered, closing the door behind him. Darkwing was surprised. He certainly hadn't expected _Bushroot_ to show up here.

"Hey, you're awake!" the mutant said, approaching the bed.

Darkwing looked up at him. "What're you doing here?" he rasped. "I never figured you for a FOWL agent."

"I'm not," Bushroot said, looking a little confused. "I just came when Steelbeak told me you were here."

"You mean, you and him are on the same side?" Darkwing asked, trying to get things straight in his still foggy mind.

"Ohh!" Dr. Stine said. Everyone looked at him. "I understand. Darkwing, here FOWL is the Friendly Organization for World Love. We want the exact same thing as the Friendly Four: world peace."

Darkwing mentally kicked himself. He should have known. Everything was the opposite here, so FOWL would be fighting for good, not evil. But the Friendly Organization for World Love? It sounded like some tacky hippy group. "Sorry," he rasped. "I'm still trying to get used to the whole parallel universe thing."

"Well, now dat we got dat straightened out," Steelbeak said, "High Command wants know if yous will help us. You've seen our St. Canard, so you know dat we've gotta major situation on our hands. Yous were really good with the Friendly Four da last time yous were here, but as soon as you left, everyt'ing went back to normal. We figure dat if FOWL helps out dis time, we can get it to stay dis way, but we need yous to get us started. What do ya say?"

Darkwing shook his head. "I have to get back to my own St. Canard and stop Negaduck."

"But how?" Steelbeak said. "Your portal remote was crushed beyond repair, and our intelligence has confirmed that Negaduck has da only other remote in existence."

"I don't know," Darkwing replied, "but I'm going to find a way, because if I don't get back there, Negaduck is going to turn my world into something even worse than what you have here."

Steelbeak didn't answer for a moment. "Well," he finally said, "if dat's what yous want. Of course, we'll do everything we can to help yous get back dere, but if dat should fail, consider our offer. Yous are the only one who has ever defeated Negaduck."

_The only one who's ever defeated Negaduck…_ It seemed as though Darkwing had been hearing that phrase a lot lately. Why was it that he was suddenly the only one that could fight Negaduck? Darkwing knew that Steelbeak had brought up a good point though. How was he going to get back to his St. Canard? Negaduck had the only working portal remote. Or did he?

"Steelbeak," Darkwing said, looking back at the agent, "I'm going to need all the information you have on portals and making portal remotes." It felt really weird asking a favor from someone who was supposed to be his enemy.

The rooster nodded. "You got it."

The mallard turned to Bushroot. "Are the rest of the Friendly Four still around? I'm probably going to need their help."

The plant nodded. "Yeah, they're actually waiting outside. When Gosalyn heard you were back, she found us and made us bring her straight here. She's just not allowed to come inside."

_Gosalyn. _He'd nearly forgotten his daughter's Negaverse counterpart with all that had been happening. Suddenly, more than anything, he wanted to see her. "She can't come in here?" Darkwing asked.

"Nah, it's FOWL regulations. No squirts under sixteen are allowed on da premises," Steelbeak said with an apologetic shrug.

"Then I'll go out to her. I'll stay with the Friendly Four at their hideout and call on you guys if I need you."

"Darkwing, I don't think you're ready to leave yet," Dr. Stine protested.

Darkwing was already pulling back the blanket though. His body felt sluggish and a little uncoordinated with each movement making him acutely aware of every painful ache. The mallard sat up, and paused, waiting for the world to stop spinning before tentatively standing up. His legs were weak, but they would hold him. He straightened his jacket.

"Darkwing are you sure you're up to this?" the doctor asked, moving to where he could catch Darkwing if his legs gave away. "Your body just went through a very traumatic experience."

"I'll be fine," the mallard answered. He looked around. "Where's my hat?"

Bushroot retrieved it from a nearby shelf and handed it to the vigilante. "Well, at least let me give you a shot for the pain," Dr. Stine said as Darkwing put the hat on. "I don't know all the effects Negaduck's concoction will have on you, but I do know that in a few hours you're going to feel like you've been run over with a truck, if you don't already."

Darkwing took a few breaths to steady his already increased heart rate, and nodded. It would definitely be nice to have this pain disappear for a while. Dr. Stine went over to a cupboard and pulled out all the things he needed, then came back over to Darkwing. "Do you have any drug allergies?" the doctor asked as he rolled up the mallard's sleeve.

He shook his head. "No."

Stine wiped a small area of Darkwing's arm clean with an alcohol wipe, then injected the drug. "There. It'll be about a half hour before it takes effect. Come back to me in about twelve hours. I'll check to see how you're doing and give you another dose."

"Alright." Darkwing turned to Bushroot. "Let's go."

The pair started to make their way out of the compound, with Bushroot running ahead to shut off lights as Darkwing took occasional breaks. Finally about halfway there, Darkwing gave in to Bushroot's insistence that he use a wheelchair, and allowed himself to be wheeled to the exit. Darkwing refused though to be pushed through the doors. He still had some pride to maintain as a hero, and he wasn't about to let Gosalyn see him come out of a FOWL compound in a wheelchair.

As soon as he set foot into the dimly lit day outside the building, he heard an excited squeal. "Darkwing!!!" The hero turned and saw a small pink figure rushing toward him. The girl stopped just short of the masked mallard, and wrapped him in a gentle hug. "I missed you," she whispered.

Darkwing returned the hug. "I missed you too."

* * *

It had taken Hooter much longer than he would have liked, but he was finally able to get through to the vice president. The aged spaniel sounded tired and stressed, but the sound of his old friend's voice was still a comfort for J. Gander to hear. Their conversation ended up going down a completely different path though then what Hooter had wanted to hear.

"We only have one chance to end this, and that's to take Negaduck out," the vice president was saying. "I want you to find out where he is and have a sniper take the shot."

"But sir, what about the breech?" Hooter asked, adjusting his grip on the phone. "Taking out Negaduck will-"

"I know what it'll do," the vice president interrupted. "Frankly though, we don't have a choice. If what your Dr. Bellum says is correct, Negaduck can blow up the planet with this YMD, and there's no way that we can agree to his demands. I understand why you're feeling uncomfortable about this. Heck, I feel the same way, but we have no other options. We tried it your way, and it failed. Now we have to try it the secretary general's way."

"I still think we should give it more time," Hooter protested. "Darkwing might still be able to stop him."

"But we can't count on that," the vice president replied. "You yourself said that he's probably stranded in the Negaverse, which makes it pretty unlikely that he'll be able to find a way here in less than two days. Now it's either one innocent, or the entire universe, and frankly, there just isn't a comparison. Now you have just short of forty-one hours to get this job done, so I suggest you get busy. And Hooter," the vice president added, a warning tone in his voice, "I don't want to see you delaying this to the last possible minute. I'd trust you with my life, but I will personally relieve you of your responsibilities if you don't get this done in a timely manner. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Hooter replied with a sigh.

"Good luck J. Gander," the vice president said. He hung up.

Hooter set the phone back down on the cradle. He hated working for the government. He just couldn't in good conscience do what they were asking. The owl wouldn't mind having to take Negaduck out, when you cross the wrong side of the law you take that chance. But when it takes the life of another also…

See what he hadn't told Darkwing, what had been eating at Hooter ever since Darkwing had left, was that when the Negaverse had been forming in the lab, there was a temporary breech in the containment field, and for a moment, the trons of the real universe and the Negaverse were able to intermix before the field was restored. Darkwing's report showed that the two universes had bonded, the people and happenings of the real universe being reflected in the Negaverse. But it went deeper than that. Dr. Bellum believed, with much convincing evidence to back it up, that the two universes were bonded so tightly that the real universe also reflects what happens in the Negaverse. If some catastrophic event happened in the Negaverse, it would happen here also, or if a person died in the Negaverse, they would die here too. That was why J. Gander was so hesitant to set the snipers on Negaduck. If Negaduck died, Darkwing would too.

So no matter what the vice president said, Hooter was going to give Darkwing as much time as he could. But if worse came to worse, Hooter didn't see that he'd have any other course of action then what the vice president had ordered. As much as he liked Darkwing, he knew that it wasn't right to sacrifice the entire earth for the safety of one. Hooter wondered whether at that crucial moment though, he would be able to give the order. It was one of those impossible decisions that had no real solution, that would result in death one way or the other. The director desperately hoped that he wouldn't actually have to make it.

* * *

Darkwing spent the rest of the day trying to find a way back to his universe, to no avail. The information that Steelbeak gave him pretty much just said that FOWL was aware of the existence of another universe, knew that Negaduck could transport between universes, and that Darkwing was from that other universe. To their knowledge, Negaduck had only one remote, and had no idea how to duplicate it, though they'd been trying for years.

Megavolt and Bushroot had been examining the crushed remains of Darkwing's portal remote all day, trying to determine if they could see how it worked well enough to duplicate it. What they told Darkwing was even more discouraging then what Steelbeak had told him. The remote contained not only the basic elements of a tron splitter, but also a rare mineral with some name twenty-three letters long that cost millions of dollars to get, once you found someone who actually had it. The pair had tried to keep their words encouraging, but the expression on their faces told Darkwing all he needed to know. Trying to duplicate the portal remote in less than forty-eight hours was impossible.

To top it all off, Darkwing was still hurting. His movements and balance, despite still being more sluggish than normal, had grown much more coordinated over the course of the day, and the pain medicine Dr. Stine had given him had taken away most of the aches and pains. But the drug had also left him light headed and slightly loopy. He was still physically weak and was winded after even a small amount of physical activity, though his sensitivity to light had all but vanished. In addition to everything else, Darkwing's voice was still raspy, so he couldn't even do his trademark entrance properly.

The masked mallard walked over to a nearby window and stared out at the city. Night had fallen about an hour ago, but the city was far from asleep. Even from this height in an abandoned flight control tower, Darkwing could hear the occasional gunshots that rang out throughout the city and the screams of the few innocents left in the Negaverse.

There was no way he could stay here. This city was a lost battle. Sure, it could get cleaned up, but what good would it do if most of the people in it wanted it like it was? It was like cleaning up your kid's room for them and then trying to get them to keep it clean afterwards. It just didn't happen. Well, at least with his kid.

Suddenly a soft noise reached Darkwing's ears, a sound like someone crying. Curious, Darkwing followed it through a hallway to a nearby door. The door was shut, but the sound was definitely coming from inside. He cautiously opened it.

The room inside was dark, but as the light from the hallway poured in, it illuminated a small, pink-clad figure on a cot, her cheeks stained with tears. "Oh, Gosalyn!" he said, hurriedly coming in. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The girl sniffed and wiped at the tears. "I had a nightmare," she admitted softly.

Darkwing instantly went into father mode, sitting on the edge of the cot and pulling her toward him to wrap her in a firm hug. "What was it about?" he asked gently.

For a moment, Gosalyn didn't answer. When she finally spoke, her quiet voice was barely audible even in the silent room. "You left me here to go back to your own universe, and then Negaduck came back and made me come back and live with him. Then…then he told me he killed you." She once more broke out into tears, her small frame wracked with sobs.

Darkwing's heart went out to her. His Gosalyn had had dreams like this back when he'd first adopted her, except her dreams had been about Taurus Bulba. He was able to comfort her though with the fact that he wasn't going anywhere, and that Bulba was gone. He couldn't comfort this Gosalyn with that. Darkwing leaving and Negaduck coming back were very real possibilities.

"Are you going to leave?" Gosalyn asked, pulling back and looking up at him.

He sighed. "I don't know. Right now I don't even think I can. There aren't any more portal remotes, and we don't have a special mineral we need to make another."

"SHUSH does," she said. "They're the ones that made the one Negaduck has. He just likes to say he made it."

"Are you sure?" Darkwing asked, a glimmer of hope growing inside him.

Gosalyn nodded. "It was just after you left. Negaduck took me back from the Friendly Four and then I heard the director tell him that they had all the materials to make another."

Darkwing was relieved. Maybe he could get back to stop Negaduck after all! But something Gosalyn said had caught his attention. "Negaduck took you back?" Darkwing repeated. "Then why are you with the Friendly Four?"

"They take care of me as much as they can, but when Negaduck's here, he almost always finds us and takes me back to his house."

Darkwing sat back, his thoughts racing. _Why would Negaduck want to take her back? Wouldn't he be glad to be rid of this cheerful little ray of sunshine?_

"If you have to go, can you come back sometime?" Gosalyn asked, pulling Darkwing from his thoughts. "I'm not so scared when you're here." Her voice broke, and she buried her head in Darkwing's chest.

Darkwing pulled her onto his lap and held her tightly, his chin on top of her head, and rocked her gently in an effort to calm her. He'd found it worked wonders with his Gosalyn, when she was upset enough not to care about the mushiness of the moment. After a few minutes of silence, Gosalyn's quiet voice asked, "Can you sing me a lullaby?"

Darkwing pulled back. "I don't know many lullabies," he said, looking down at her. "Do you know any?"

"Well," the red-head said, looking down, "after I met you, I had a really nice dream where you sang me a one. It went like this." She cleared her throat. "Close your eyes, little girl blue. Come paint your dreams on your pillow. I will be near, to chase away fear, so sleep now and dream till tomorrow. I will be near, to chase away fear, so sleep now and dream till tomorrow."

Darkwing was dumbfounded. She had just sang word-for-word the exact song he had sung to his Gosalyn their first night together. How could she have known? _Was it possible….?_ But he saw her expectant eyes looking up at him, and made himself focus on the moment.

"How about this? Rest your head, little girl blue," he sang, gently lifting her back onto the cot. "Sleep now and forget your troubles. I will be near, don't you shed a tear. So sleep now, don't fret on tomorrow." He watched as Gosalyn's eyes began to close. "I will be near, don't you shed a tear. So sleep now, don't fret on tomorrow."

The masked mallard pulled the blankets up around the quiet form, and tip-toed back toward the hallway. He paused in the doorway, and looked back at the red-head, now sound asleep. "Yes Gosalyn," he whispered. "I'll come back." He owed her that much. She had just given him the way out of there, and the key to stopping Negaduck.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I had such a hard time writing this chapter. For some reason or other, I just couldn't get it to come out right. My first draft was actually way longer; I even had a scene where Darkwing spoke to High Command directly. It took me forever to finally get it to a state where it wasn't too badly worded or long. Hopefully you were still able to enjoy what was there though. By the way, I went back and changed what the portal looks like when first activated. I never liked how that turned out, so I just decided to go with an older idea I had of what that's like.


	7. Desperation

**Author's Note:** This chapter's going to be a bit longer than what I normally do, but breaking it up would totally have destroyed the atmosphere I was going for, so you all just get to read a little more of the story without interruption. And again, I had to take some extra scenes and lines out to make it shorter and more reader-friendly, but I think you'll enjoy how it ended up. Thank you all for your encouraging reviews! I look forward to seeing what you think of this chapter.

* * *

"What do you think?" Darkwing asked, looking at the faces around him.

The group around the table didn't respond immediatly, the usually lively Friendly Four along with Steelbeak instead rather solemn and grave. It was Steelbeak who finally broke the silence. "I have to say though, dat while dis plan seems pretty good on da surface, if just one t'ing goes wrong, everyt'ing's going to be ruined. I'm just not so sure that it's da best idea to put so many of our people at risk."

Darkwing sighed. "I know, but the fact is that I'm desperate. I'm willing to put anything on the line to stop Negaduck, including my life. I can't make you guys to do the same though. So I'm asking, no I'm begging, will you help me with this?"

The group looked at each other, then Bushroot stood up and said, "I'm in. I'm not going to let Negaduck do to Darkwing's universe what he did to ours. Who's with me?"

It was Megavolt who spoke next. "Ah, what the heck? I'm sure it'll be a sizzzling experience."

One by one, the members at the table stood and put their hand atop the others. As Darkwing looked at the pile, a leafy hand, a hand gloved in rubber, water in the shape of a hand, a well manicured hand, and a hand in Bugs Bunny gloves, he was struck by the vast differences between them. He just hoped it worked to his advantage, instead of to his determent, like so often happened to Negaduck.

He put his own hand on the top of the pile, and looked around at the group surrounding him with a depth of gratitude he'd never felt before. They were about to risk their lives to help him save his universe, something none of them had any vested interest in. "Thank you," he said. But as he looked at their grim faces, he knew no thank you would ever be enough.

* * *

"Director, you have a call from the vice-president," Hooter's secretary said over the intercom. "Priority One."

Hooter sighed. He was wondering how long it would be before the vice president called. "Put it through," he replied. He picked up the phone. "Hello Bill," he greeted.

"Hooter, there are only six hours left, and I don't see you sending in your snipers. Would you care to explain this?" the vice president's clipped voice demanded.

"Well sir, my agents have had some difficulty pinning down Negaduck's location," the owl calmly explained. "His usual hideouts have been abandoned, and our sources haven't yielded much of anything. However, one of my agents has turned up a lead. It'll take a while to actually run it to ground, but we think this may be the real thing."

"Well, that's terribly convenient," Bill replied with a hint of sarcasm. "And I'm sure this has absolutely nothing to do with buying time for your freelance agent stuck in the Negaverse?"

"Of course not," Hooter replied. "You know I always obey orders."

"Yes I know." A sigh came over the line. "Look Hooter, off the record, I think what you're trying to do is admirable. But we can't risk the entire world over this one duck. The secretary general's jumping down my throat trying to get me to let him take over. You need to get this handled now, or Negaduck won't have a chance to get at you."

"If you know of any possibilities where Negaduck may be, feel free to send them to us to speed up the process. Otherwise, we're just going to have to wait until we can run this lead to ground."

The vice president's voice tightened. "You have exactly five hours and forty-five minutes to get this done before I do it for you. And if we make it through this, you're going to be _very_ fortunate to have a job still." He hung up the phone.

Hooter put down his phone. The vice president was right of course, Hooter was buying time. His agents had found Negaduck's hideout thirty minutes ago in an under-construction skyscraper, and were keeping the building under surveillance while waiting for the director's orders. And they were going to keep waiting, until either Darkwing came back or they ran out of time. Not even the threat of losing his job could change the owl's mind on this one. There was no way he was going to order the sniper to take the shot while there was still the chance Darkwing could stop him.

The owl looked at the clock mounted above his office door, then stood and went over to the window, looking out over the city. _Hurry, Darkwing._

* * *

J. Gander Hooter of the Negaverse stood at the grimy window of his broken-down office, proudly surveying the ruined city of St. Canard. In just one hour, he could make his move. Two, maybe three hours, and the city would be completely his. Negaduck would have complete control of Darkwing's universe, and would be busy converting the hero's disgustingly clean world into a sordid, abominable place even worse than the Negaverse, if that were possible. Then while the evil ruler was occupied, Hooter would take advantage of the duck's absence to take control of _his_ universe. By the time Negaduck returned, Hooter and his agents would be so firmly entrenched that it would be years before Negaduck regaining control even became a _possibility_, and of course by then, Hooter would have had him bumped off.

The owl smiled. He could almost taste the power he was about to obtain, could imagine the raptures of complete, unchallenged control. Just one more hour. _Hurry Negaduck!_ he thought impatiently.

A knock at the door snapped the director from his reverie. "What?!" he demanded, irritated at being interrupted.

Agent Gryzlikof stuck his head in. "Director, our surveillance agents are reporting FOWL activity down in the warehouse district. Intelligence indicates that Steelbeak himself is there, with what looks to be most of the FOWL agents known to be in St. Canard."

Hooter frowned. What was that pretty-boy up to? Such blatantly obvious operations weren't like him. And what could possibly be in the warehouse district that would make Steelbeak risk soiling his nice white jacket with the smell of fish?

Apparently Gryzlikov sensed his director's consternation, because he said, "Our intelligence department is speculating that when we burned that district out, we missed some equipment that FOWL now wants for an upcoming operation, requiring a large scale movement of materials."

Hooter snorted. The intelligence department was usually about as accurate as a blind man trying to shoot a fly. Still, having so many FOWL agents in one place was an opportunity that shouldn't be ignored. He could eliminate opposition to his take-over in one heavy strike.

"Gryzlikov, take most of our available agents and take them out. And Gryzlikof," he added, as the eager bear began to leave to carry out his duty, "The only prisoner I'm interested in is Steelbeak himself. You know what to do with the rest."

A vicious smile appeared on the agent's face, his director's implied instructions quite clear. "Yes sir." He turned and left, shutting the door behind him, and causing the neglected room to shudder.

Hooter sighed. Maybe he'd get lucky and Gryzlikof would have an unfortunate "accident" during the operation. Sure, the bear _looked_ dedicated to his job, but Hooter was sure that under his unassuming minion exterior lurked a clever mind that would seize any opportunity to usurp the director of his power. It would be one less possible rival to his position.

Aware of the dwindling time left, the director left the window and began to head for the door, having a few last minute preparations to make. A sudden thought occurred to him though, making him stop short, then turn back and go over to his desk. He pulled open a drawer and retrieved his semi-automatic from inside. He double checked the magazine, then pocketed the weapon. If he was right, he may soon have a use for it.

* * *

Darkwing watched from the shadows as scads of SHUSH agents came pouring out of the building. It was working! They were falling for Steelbeak's diversion. The mallard glanced at his watch. They only had forty minutes left. It was going to be close. They had got here much later than Darkwing had been hoping. Megavolt had taken what seemed like forever to rebuild his tronsplitter, which had been damaged in his last attempt to use it, and to add to that, the area around SHUSH headquarters was swarming with agents. It had been a very slow process to get this close without detection.

As much of a hurry as he was in though, he knew he needed to wait until after there was some distance between the agents that had just left and headquarters. Ten very long minutes later, he saw Quackerjack and the Liquidator go straight in through the front entrance, right on cue. It didn't take long after that for the sounds of what sounded like an epic battle to reach Darkwing's ears. The continuous gunfire was almost drowned out by the screams and shouts of the people inside, and Darkwing could have sworn he heard the incredible dreary Mr. History Doll over all the racquet. Well, he had to gave them one thing, those guys could certainly make one heck of a distraction.

Now that everyone inside should be occupied, it was time for Darkwing to make his move. He stood, the movement reminding him how much he regretted not going back to Dr. Stine for another injection. He went over to one of the building's walls and shot his grappling gun into the air, where it caught a window ledge on the top floor. The mallard retracted the rope, pulling himself up the building, where he kicked in the window and gingerly climbed through, being careful to avoid bumping his ribs.

As he tucked away his gas gun, a sudden explosion rocked the structure, throwing Darkwing off balance and forcing him to grab hold of a nearby chair to keep from falling. Well he definitely hadn't been expecting _that_! He hoped Liki and Quackerjack weren't going overboard in their diversion. Keeping the agents occupied wasn't going to do much good if the building was blown up with all of them inside. He made his way to the door, and was pleased to discover the hallway outside was empty. Now he just needed to get his bearings and find that safe.

* * *

Bushroot stumbled and nearly fell as the explosion shook the building, making him lean against a wall for support as the tremors ceased. He wanted to smile. That could only have been Quackerjack's new Mega Exploding Panda. He could remember when the toymaker had finished it a few weeks ago, and how he'd proudly announced its explosion force as three times that of the original. He could definitely believe it.

He suddenly realized though that somebody could have gotten hurt. "Are you all okay, my plants?" he asked, searching for them through his telepathic link.

_We're all fine,_ an experimental Venus flytrap answered in his head. _Just a few broken pots._

"Okay, I need to find that mineral," Bushroot reminded them. That had been the mission Darkwing had given him; find the mineral, and bring it to Megavolt in the laboratory.

This time some blackberry vines answered. _It's in here with us. Come straight down the hallway you're in and take a left at the end. The room is two doors after that._

"Thanks." Bushroot followed the vines' directions and went down the hallway.

He was about to make the corner when suddenly he heard some invading moss say, _Look out! There's an agent about to come around the corner right where you are!_

Bushroot quickly ducked into a doorway just in time for a SHUSH agent to come tearing round the corner, a set of Quackerjack's play teeth firmly attached to his rear end and his clothing completely drenched. He was screaming, "I can't take it! No more history!" His cries faded away as he continued through the building.

_That Mr. History Doll is rather dreary, isn't it?_ the moss asked as Bushroot resumed his course.

"I think that's the point," Bushroot replied. He found the door the blackberry vines had mentioned and cautiously went in, making sure there were no surprise agents there. The storage room he found himself in was, to his relief, devoid of people. Boxes were precariously stacked and randomly tossed into the room, and the one window there was broken with the vines Bushroot had spoken to coming in through it, stretching their thorny branches out towards the corners of the room.

_The mineral is over there in that cracked jar,_ they instructed_. _

"Thanks," Bushroot said, going over the jar. Inside, just as the vines had said, was the mineral Darkwing needed. The mutant selected a sizeable chunk, and was about to turn to go when suddenly the vines cried, _Look out!_

Bushroot whirled around just in time to dodge a shot by another agent that had appeared in the doorway. "Get him!" Bushroot cried, ducking behind a metal cabinet as the agent fired again. Immediately the blackberry vines stretched out and wrapped themselves around the agent, seizing the gun and pinning his arms and legs.

_We'll hold him until you're out of here,_ the vines said as they continued to hold the struggling agent. Bushroot nodded and hurriedly left the room, looking for the way to the stairs. He hadn't gone far though when Bushroot suddenly felt his link with the blackberry vine begin to weaken. The mutant stopped short, horror gripping his heart as he realized what was happening. The agent the vines were holding was killing them, hacking them off their root branch one by one. The mutant almost went back, almost turned around to pull that agent away from the vines and send him back to where he came from, but the realization that doing so would only make the plant's sacrifice in vain made him reluctantly start moving again. As he went, the link continued to weaken, like water being poured out of a glass. He found the stairs, and began to descend them. Halfway down, Bushroot's eyes filled with tears. The link was gone.

* * *

So far, the group had been pretty lucky. They'd stayed just one step ahead of SHUSH, not so far as to lose them but not close enough to get caught. The eggmen where performing their duty well, and were all worthy of a commendation. So far they'd had to change locations twice to stay ahead of the SHUSH goons, but had only bought Darkwing and the Friendly Four twenty minutes. Steelbeak was beginning to wonder if they could hold out for yet another twenty. The last time they'd moved, they had seen SHUSH arrive in the front just as they were pulling out of the back. It was a call a little too close for comfort, even for an experienced agent like Steelbeak.

He around at his eggmen, who were doing what they could to "subtly" attract attention to their location, such as making clean spots, organizing things in surrounding alleys and buildings, and actually putting trash in trash bags, things that in the Negaverse, were worthy of the death penalty. Yes, they all deserved a commendation for performing this dangerous work so well.

"Alright yous guys," Steelbeak called out. "Pack it up! SHUSH'll probably be 'ere in a few minutes!"

The eggmen immediately obeyed, collecting their cleaning supplies and starting to file out to the vans. Suddenly, a cry caught Steelbeak's attention. Whipping around, the rooster found its source: an eggmen, one of the new recruits, was pointing at something opposite the vans. Steelbeak followed his shaking finger, and saw with alarm the black cars of SHUSH tearing down the streets toward them!

"Go!! Escape Plan D! Move it people!" Steelbeak yelled, making for his car. Around him the eggmen dropped what they were carrying and scrambled into the back of the vans as the drivers revved up the engines and began to take off.

Once Steelbeak saw that all the eggmen had made it into a vehicle, he got in his seat and cried to the driver "Go!" With a squeal of tires, the car took off, with the SHUSH agents right on their bumper. Steelbeak saw with pride the vans ahead of him execute the escape plan perfectly, each one taking off in a different direction at the highest speed possible and scattering into the ruined underbelly of the city, the drivers looking for any opportunity to shake any tails they'd acquired.

As his own car tore through the streets, trying to escape the six cars following, Steelbeak glanced at his watch. 6:16 AM. Well, they'd managed to buy Darkwing twenty-six minutes. As the vans lost their tails, the agents would start trickling back to headquarters. A sudden shot rang out, and the rooster looked back to see Agent Gryzilkof himself hanging out the window of the lead car following them, aiming a gun at his tires. Steelbeak hoped the time he'd bought was enough, because it was possible he may end up paying for it with his life.

* * *

Megavolt peered in through the window to the laboratory. It had taken him a long time to actually find the lab; the building was much more complicated than he'd thought. Now that he was finally there though, he'd run into another problem. There was still somebody inside.

The rat watched as the duck calmly continued her experiment, her dark hair falling around her face as she stooped over something lying under a sheet on the table in front of her. Nearby, several electronic monitors tracked her progress, their beeps and blips audible to Megavolt even outside the laboratory. He wondered how he was going to get her out. The sounds of Liki and Quackerjack's battle upstairs could be clearly heard, so whoever it was in there obviously wasn't scared of them. Either that, or she was just a loony. From what Megavolt could see of her experimenting, he was leaning more toward the loony.

Wait, she was about to do part of her experiment on a lightbulb! That made Megavolt mad. Who would pick on a poor helpless light bulb?! What was even worse, it looked as though she was getting ready to take it apart! _Nobody _tormented light bulbs when he was around and got away with it! He felt the surge of his anger begin to collect in his hands, filling his fingers with a lethal charge that made his skin tingle. As he felt the power reach its apex, Megavolt pushed the door open, raising his hands to fire off a bolt of high voltage electricity at the cruel doctor who dared to pick on defenseless appliances, but stopped short as some green wiry things suddenly grew out of what was under the sheet, surprising both him and the scientist at the table. The green things wrapped themselves around the doctor, carrying the protesting form to a closet, tossing her in and shutting the door behind her.

"You haven't even set up the tronsplitter yet?!" Bushroot asked as he came up behind Megavolt. "How're we supposed to get it going in time if you don't even have it ready?!"

"Why'd you have to go and do that?!" Megavolt said, ignoring the plant's questions and gesturing toward the closet, where its captive was loudly protesting her imprisonment. "I was just about ready to fry her!"

"Yeah, if you did, the whole place would have blown up. Dr. Bellum was working with some pretty volatile chemicals over there. Fortunately, that thing on the table is plant enough for me to be able to communicate with it," Bushroot said, picking up the tronsplitter and going into the room. He picked a relatively empty corner of the room and started setting up the tripod.

Megavolt went over to the table and lifted the sheet covering whatever was under it. "Eeeh, what is that?!" he asked as he saw the shape underneath.

"Whatever it is, don't touch it," Bushroot warned as he fiddled with the tronsplitter. "I've heard stories about Dr. Bellum that would make Frankenstein look like Sleeping Beauty." He growled in frustration. "How do you get this thing to turn on?!"

Megavolt went over and pressed the "On" button. The tronsplitter came to life. "Oh," Bushroot said, a little embarrassed. "Well hurry up and get it ready to go! We only have ten minutes left!"

"Did you get the mineral?" Megavolt asked as he entered the commands into his machine.

"Right here," Bushroot answered. "I'll just attach it to the end of the tronsplitter." They were hoping that focusing the beam of the tronsplitter through the mineral would be close enough to the functions of the portal remote to open up a pretty stable portal.

As the mutant was attaching the mineral though, Megavolt suddenly realized something. "Hey," he said to Bushroot. "I don't hear Liki and Quackerjack anymore."

Bushroot straightened up, a look of alarm spreading over his face. There's no way Quckerjack would ever voluntarily play quietly. Something must have happened! "You're right! We'd better go and help them! Get the thing going and let's get up there!"

Megavolt quickly pressed a the last few buttons, and the ray of the tronsplitter shot through the mineral, creating a greenish looking ball next to the wall. "I hope that's what Darkwing needed!" the rat said, as he and Bushroot rushed out of the room.

* * *

_Click. _It certainly wasn't the most amazing sound in the world, but it was certainly music to Darkwing's ears. He'd been trying for what seemed like an eternity to get the sound. He took hold of the knob, and sure enough, it moved. He'd finally done it! The mallard glanced at his watch. _Shoot!_ Cracking the safe had taken longer than he'd thought. He only had eight minutes to get back and stop Negaduck. Darkwing quickly pulled open the heavy safe door, ignoring the protests his muscles gave him, and stepped inside.

The light from the room outside shone into the dark safe, illuminating the high-tech gadgets lining the shelves. It only took a moment for Darkwing to locate what he needed. He quickly grabbed it off the shelf and took it out into the room outside the safe, carefully setting it on a nearby table. He pulled the back off, adjusted a few of the wires inside, and had just finished returning the back to its position when he heard another click, this time with a more ominous ring to it.

"Step away from the table," Hooter said from behind him.

Darkwing complied, stepping back and turning to see the owl and the gun he was holding. Hooter stepped forward and, being careful to keep an eye on Darkwing, looked over the object on the table. "It won't work, you know," the owl said as he finished his examination. "There's no way you can defeat Lord Negaduck now."

Darkwing folded his arms. "Says you. For your information, I've _already_ defeated Negaduck's scheme."

"I wasn't talking about his scheme," Hooter replied with a twisted smile. "I was talking about _him_."

The masked mallard snorted. "I've beaten him more times than I can count. What makes you think I won't do it again?"

"The fact that you'll be dead." He raised the gun on level with Darkwing's chest, and before the mallard could react, pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Director, we are out of time," Gryzlikof said.

Hooter sighed, his eyes locked on the skyscraper across from them. He'd joined the surveillance team at the sniper position an hour ago, hoping to see Darkwing suddenly arrive and confront Negaduck. His hopes had been dashed though. Negaduck still stood unchallenged, the YMD next to him and ready for activation. Gryzlikof was right. They had run out of time. Gryzlikof, the surveillance team, and the sniper were all looking at him, waiting for his decision.

"Take the shot," he ordered.


	8. A Moment of Redemption

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the long wait on this chapter. I hit a writer's block partway through and was only able to break through it recently. Thank you all for being so patient!

* * *

It was one of those terrible moments that seemed to contain an eternity within its meager sixty seconds. Hooter heard himself issue the order to take the shot, though everything inside him screamed against it. He felt the throb of his pulse quicken as he watched the sniper line up his sights with the target. He lifted his binoculars to his eyes, and saw the image of a smug Negaduck in the neighboring skyscraper, his dark, masked eyes seemingly boring right through the director's commanding exterior, as if daring him to actually go through with it. Out of the corner of his eye, Hooter saw the sniper's finger tense on the trigger.

Then he caught a glimpse of something in the room with Negaduck. "Hold your fire!" Hooter ordered, tearing his eyes away from Negaduck and frantically waving at the sniper to stand down. To his credit, the sniper immediately pulled his finger off the trigger. Satisfied that he wasn't going to take the shot, Hooter looked back through his binoculars at the skyscraper across the way. Negaduck was no longer where he had been; the YMD was left sitting alone on a table. But the YMD was not what the director wanted to see. The owl scanned the floor, and though he still didn't see Negaduck or any other person, he saw in the air a faint blue tinge.

"Get me a helicopter, Agent Gryzlikof," Hooter said, putting down the binoculars and turning to leave the room. If what he saw was what he was thinking it was, then Hooter would never again complain about last minute arrivals.

"But sir, where is it you are going?" Gryzlikof asked, following his director out and down the hallway.

"I am going to that skyscraper, and I don't want to hear one word of protest," Hooter said.

"Well I insist you take some agents with you," the bear said as an elevator came into view. "It is against procedure for you to be going alone."

"There isn't time," Hooter replied, pushing the call button. "You need the agents you have here, and I'm not waiting for more to show up. As soon as backup arrives, send them over straight away. I'm going to need them. I'll stay in contact through the headsets. You're in charge Agent Gryzlikof. Do what you deem necessary, but under _no_ circumstances are you to order that shot taken. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Director," Gryzlikof replied, resigned. He knew when Hooter was not going to be swayed.

The elevator arrived, and Hooter stepped inside and pushed the button for the roof. "I want that helicopter on the roof by the time I get up there!" the owl said to his chief agent. The doors slid to a shut.

* * *

Gosalyn could finally see the door for the top floor. Summoning all her remaining energy, the duckling began to climb the last flight of steps. If she'd realized that she was going to have to climb a hundred stories worth of stairs when she'd snuck out of the house early that morning, she would have tried to borrow the car or something, and at least save herself the energy of biking in. But no, the agents she'd eavesdropped on at SHUSH had failed to mention that the stupid building wasn't finished. You'd think that the elevators would be one of the first things they'd get working. As tired as she was though, there was no way that she was going to sit out on this one, not when her dad could need her. She'd decided that the moment she'd heard Negaduck's broadcast.

Finally, Gosalyn reached the landing. Utterly exhausted, Gosalyn plopped down on the top step and tried to catch her breath. The urge to sleep came over her in a powerful wave, reminding the red-head that she hadn't had any rest. Fortunately, Gosalyn had foreseen the problem. She reached into her backpack she'd brought and pulled out a water bottle, filled with a special concoction of her very own that she saved for only very important occasions. Inside the bottle was a mix of six highly caffeinated energy drinks, along with a little bit of extremely strong coffee. Gosalyn had only used the drink mix once before, and the result was the infamous incident with the peanut butter, sealing wax, and the VCR. She'd gotten in so much trouble that she hadn't dared to use the mix again since, but she did hang onto the recipe, just in case.

Now, as the contents of the bottle began to fill her stomach, she was glad she did. Almost instantly, the sleep left her eyes, and adrenaline coursed through her veins, filling her with enough energy that she felt she could take on six hockey teams at once.

Revitalized, Gosalyn jumped back to her feet. She turned to open the door, but paused as her ears caught a heavy thumping sound. At first she thought it was coming from the other side of the door, but after a minute, realized it was coming from outside. She went over to the stairwell window, and saw the lights of a helicopter heading for the roof, with the sound of its propellers beating against the air growing louder every second. "Cheater," Gosalyn muttered as she watched it disappear over the lip of the roof. Using a helicopter was a cheap way to skip all those stairs.

The duckling knew though that the helicopter meant she was going to have company. She needed to act now. Turning back to the door, Gosalyn slowly started to turn the knob, and noticed for the first time the spray of bullet holes across its width. For a moment, the heavy feeling of fear began to grow in her stomach, but Gosalyn wasn't about to let it get the better of her, not after she'd come so far. Slowly, she pushed open the door.

The girl found herself in a large, dark room. The only illumination came from the predawn morning outside, its gray light coming in through a wall of windows on her left, and driving the shadows back ten feet from the wall. The insulation was showing in the walls that could be seen, and the rafters for the roof were just barely visible high up in the shadows. There were no dividing walls up yet, but a few tarps hung from the ceiling here and there, obscuring even some of the lit portions of the room. But what really caught the duckling's attention, was no more than thirty feet away near the windows, on a sawhorse table slightly hidden by a hanging tarp, sat the YMD, completely alone and unattended.

Gosalyn saw at once the opportunity she had, and she was never one to make opportunity knock twice. The duckling quickly moved to the table, and quietly putting her backpack down, picked up the device.

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice said quietly behind her.

* * *

Hooter watched the duckling jump, nearly dropping the YMD as she whipped around. "D-D-D-Director Hooter," the girl said nervously. "What are you doing here?" She couldn't have looked guiltier if she'd been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Keep your voice down," Hooter warned, hushing her. "Negaduck is somewhere on this floor, and he's armed. Now there isn't any time. Give me the YMD and I'll get you out of here. No buts," he added, seeing the duckling about to protest.

Gosalyn reluctantly handed the device over to the director, and after he made a quick examination of the object to make sure Negaduck hadn't tampered with it, Hooter said, "Ok, come with me." The owl started to lead the duckling to the exit, but suddenly stopped short as a voice came through his ear piece.

_"Attention all unit! This is General Adam Bomm. As of this moment, I am taking control of this operation. Any units in the target zone are to evacuate immediately. We are going to take the shot. I repeat, we're going to take the shot."_

Hooter quickly pulled Gosalyn back behind the tarp and turned to look through the window toward the sniper position. "General," he said quietly into his mouthpiece, "this is Director Hooter. I have the YMD and am preparing to return it to the chopper. The situation is now under control."

_"Director, I suggest you clear out of there immediately. My team is going take Negaduck out once and for all,"_ came the general's gruff reply.

"General, you don't understand, if you take the shot, an innocent will—"

_"Hooter, you had your chance, and you blew it. Now step aside and let my team do its job."_

Hooter felt Gosalyn tap him on the arm, and looked to see her pointing at a tarp a short distance away. A caped figure was silhouetted behind it with a large weapon in his hands, and it was heading in their direction, right into the sniper's view.

Hooter turned to the window again and gave one last appeal. "General, I-"

General Bomm cut him off. _"Take the shot," _he ordered the sniper.

Hooter knew he had no time. He quickly thrust the YMD at Gosalyn and dove for the nearby shadow. He heard the crack of the rifle shot just as he felt the impact of his body colliding with Negaduck's, and a feeling like fire tore through his left shoulder. He vaguely heard Gosalyn shriek as he continued to fall, but the burning pain ate at his senses and consumed his mind, so that all other perceptions were dulled in the white haze. Then he hit the ground, and his surroundings vanished altogether in one final explosion of fiery sensation.

* * *

Horrified, Gosalyn shoved the YMD back onto the table and rushed over to the still form. There was a dark stain growing on the back of his jacket near his shoulder, and the owl looked as pale and still as death itself, but Gosalyn saw with relief the small rise and fall of his chest. Hooter was still alive.

She heard the sound of a weapon cocking, and whipped around to see Negaduck standing over the pair with a gun almost bigger than he was, his breathing hard and his eyes dark and angry. "_Nobody_ takes a shot at me, then saves my life and gets away with it!" he growled. He raised the barrel of the weapon toward Gosalyn and Hooter, and time suddenly seemed to slow for the duckling as she realized she was about to die. She knew that she had no way to escape. Strangely, as she defiantly stared down the barrels of Negaduck's gun, the only thing on her mind was that her dad was going to be furious at her for getting killed. As she watched Negaduck start to squeeze the trigger, she wondered if she could get grounded in Heaven.

Just then the duckling heard a whoosh, and time instantly sped back up as three tiny blue objects flew past Gosalyn and hit the ground. Immediately blue smoke erupted around the trio, quickly expanding and hiding Negaduck from Gosalyn's view. She felt an arm grip her strongly around the waist, and suddenly she was flying through the air, up to the rafters of the ceiling as the sound of gunfire exploded below, bullets tearing in all directions. She saw the purple sleeve gripping her, and realized the hope she almost been afraid to have. Her dad was back!

Within seconds, they were up in the rafters. Darkwing carefully set her on a wide beam, and she turned around to see him with Hooter in his other arm, the grappling rope tied to a belt around his waist instead of in his hand. He leaned Hooter against a vertical support piece, and after a quick check of the director's vital signs, turned back to Gosalyn. "Are you okay?" he asked, worry written all over his face.

Gosalyn had never been better in all her life! Her dad was safe and even better, he was back! "Of course I'm okay!" she said, joyfully giving the hero a hug. She heard him gasp, and immediately pulled back, concern quickly dissipating her euphoria. "Are _you_ okay?" she said, searching his masked eyes.

"I'm fine," the mallard answered, turning back to Hooter. But Gosalyn had seen it, despite Darkwing's effort to hide it. Her dad was in serious pain.

"Gosalyn, I'm going to need you to do something for me," Darkwing said, forcing the duckling to put her worry aside. "I need you to keep J. Gander safe until I can get him help." He tore a piece of cloth from his cape, and wadding it up, pressed it to the owl's wound. The owl moaned, and shifted his position slightly. "Use this to try to stop the bleeding. And whatever you do," he continued, looking the duckling in the eyes, "_stay here._ I don't want you to get hurt. I'll be back."

"But Dad-" Gosalyn started to say as she moved to take her dad's position. It was too late though. The hero had already left, leaving the red-head alone with the injured director.

Gosalyn looked down and saw Negaduck below, slowly checking the floor for where they had gone while being careful to avoid getting into the sniper's line of sight. Apparently the villain hadn't caught onto their escape route. Suddenly, a strong voice rang out through the floor. "I am the terror that flaps in the night!" Negaduck quickly looked around, trying to pinpoint the origin of the speaker.

"I am the pest you cannot exterminate!" A blue cloud formed just off to Negaduck's left, and he aimed his gun at it, ready to tear the figure apart when he became visible.

"I am Darkwing Duck!" the hero exclaimed, appearing right behind the villain and surprising him with a heavy kick to the back. Negaduck and his gun went flying, both of them landing on the floor a few feet away from the caped crime fighter.

Darkwing already had his gas gun out and had the villain covered. "It's _over_ Negaduck!" he said, approaching the duck.

Negaduck slowly climbed to his feet, leaving his weapon forgotten on the floor. "You're even worse than a cockroach," he growled, looking over his double. "How many times am I going to have to kill you?"

"However many times it takes you to realize that you _can't _beat me," Darkwing answered, his gaze and weapon both locked on the evil mallard. "All right Negsy, slowly turn around and put your hands in the air, or else you're going to end up with a beak-full of triple strength laughing gas."

"Oh, I'll be laughing alright," Negaduck replied. "When I see you in pieces smaller than your puny brain!" Out of nowhere, a bazooka appeared from inside the villain's cape, forcing Darkwing to hit the ground as Negaduck blasted a hole in the wall right where Darkwing had been standing. Negaduck aimed again, but Darkwing was already moving, diving into the concealing shadows of the floor while firing off a few rounds of a pale yellow gas. The villain dodged the poorly-aimed gas clouds and fired his bazooka again, once more hitting nothing except a patch of wall. Keeping a careful eye out for his double, Negaduck reached into his cape again and pulled out the portal remote. He pressed a few buttons, and pointed it at a window. A second later, the sound of the developing portal orb filled the room.

Gosalyn ground her teeth in frustration. The really maddening thing about her situation was that _couldn't_ go and help her dad, or else Director Hooter would bleed to death. Negaduck was getting ready to press the YMD button and she couldn't do anything about it! Gosalyn looked over at the director in an attempt to distract herself. His feathers were abnormally pale, but he still looked like he was breathing alright. What was worrying her though was that the piece of cloth she was holding to his shoulder was almost soaked through. He was still bleeding heavily.

A cry of surprise brought Gosalyn's attention back down to the floor below. Darkwing had surprised Negaduck again with another attack from the rear, causing the villain to lose his grip on his bazooka. The pair engaged in hand-to-hand combat, each throwing kicks and punches at the other in a fight that was growing dangerously close to the growing orb. Gosalyn knew that the orb was going to start spouting lightning bolts any second now.

As she watched the fight with growing apprehension, she realized that her dad was not reacting nearly as quickly to Negaduck's moves as he usually did. Punches he normally would have been able to block with ease where getting through. She noticed with a little bit of relief though that for some reason Negaduck seemed to be just as slow, but it was still worrying her. Her dad was not up to his usual par, and he needed to be to be able to defeat Negaduck.

Suddenly the orb's noise stopped, and the orb just hovered over the floor, its silence even more ominous than its noise. Then the first lightning bolt shot out, landing just between Darkwing and Negaduck and sending the two opponents jumping back. As more lightning bolts followed, the pair reengaged in their fight, their struggle looking even more intense than before as it was lit by the flashes of green.

Negaduck suddenly dove for something on the floor, and grabbed a table circular saw that some worker had left behind. He came at Darkwing with it, forcing the mallard back and pinning him back against the window. Gosalyn watched with her heart in her throat as Darkwing struggled with the villain, one of his hands keeping the saw away from his face, and the other on the hand Negaduck was trying to choke him with. It was a contest of sheer strength, and it quickly became clear that Darkwing was losing.

* * *

Hooter hurt, more than anything he'd experienced in a long time. His shoulder felt like someone had soaked a billiard ball in gasoline, set it on fire, and shoved it inside him. The wound burned, even more so than when he'd first been shot. He could feel the throb of every heart beat in his shoulder, and felt a large amount of pressure directly on his wound. The pain meant that he was alive though, and that was the important thing.

The pressure on his shoulder shifted slightly, and the owl realized someone was holding something on his wound. An EMT? A SHUSH agent? Hooter couldn't hear any voices, only a rough buzzing noise that seemed to be coming from a distance away. His years of front-line government work demanded that he know what was happening, and whether or not he was safe. So with a considerable effort, Hooter opened his eyes.

An instant wave of vertigo washed over him as soon as his eyes were open, and it took a moment for his vision to clear. It was with surprise though, that he saw Gosalyn come into focus. Had he only been out for a few seconds? No, they weren't where they had been; something else was going on. Though Gosalyn held a wadded piece of cloth to his shoulder, it was obvious that the duckling's attention was elsewhere. Her face was a mix of worry and frustration; her eyes were locked on something below them with an intensity that seemed to soak in every detail, missing nothing.

Hooter slowly turned his head, realized as he saw his surroundings that he was twenty feet above the floor. His gaze though was immediately drawn to two figures below, engaged in a life and death struggle, and he instantly knew the cause for Gosalyn's worry.

He looked back at the duckling, weighing the thought that presented itself with the alternatives. The problem was, there were no alternatives. There was only one thing to be done. He just hoped it wouldn't end badly.

* * *

A touch on Gosalyn's hand made her jump, nearly causing her lose her balance on the rafter. She tore her eyes away from the figures below, and turned to see Director Hooter awake and looking at her. He didn't say a word, maybe he wasn't able to, but his hand moved towards his shoulder, and gently pushed her own aside. The message was clear. She was able to go and help Darkwing.

Grateful, Gosalyn carefully climbed to her feet, and after taking a quick look around for her best way down, took off for a ladder attached to a nearby wall. Her athletic training served her well as she nimbly climbed through the rafters and hurried across the narrow beams. Only half a minute later, she was at the ladder, and she quickly began her decent down. She's hardly gone three rungs though when the sound of the circular saw suddenly stopped. With fear gripping her heart, Gosalyn craned her neck to see what had happened.

Gosalyn was relieved to see that Darkwing and Negaduck were both still at the window, but Darkwing had managed to catch the cord for the saw with one of his legs, and had yanked the plug right out of the wall, using the momentarily distraction it caused to force Negaduck off of him and send him stumbling back a few feet. The evil mallard quickly recovered though. Throwing the saw aside, Negaduck charged Darkwing with an almost animalistic snarl, tackling the vigilante around the waist and driving him back into the window with enough force to shatter the glass. Shards of glass fell in showers around them and the almost completed portal as the cold morning air rushed in, but the pair barely noticed in their struggle.

Then Negaduck missed a punch, exposing his middle and allowing Darkwing to deliver a powerful blow to Negaduck's gut, followed by a swift uppercut to the beak the sent the villain two feet off the floor. Negaduck managed to hit the ground in low Quack Fu stance and made a sweeping kick at Darkwing's legs, but the mallard was a step ahead of him. Jumping the kick, Darkwing used his landing to come down hard on Negaduck's back, knocking the villain flat on his stomach, stunned and out of breath, with a victorious Darkwing on top of him.

Gosalyn whooped for joy. Her dad had done it! He'd beaten Negaduck! She quickly restarted her decent on the ladder, wanting to hug the living daylights out of her hero. When she finally touched the floor, she saw Darkwing pulling a still dazed Negaduck to his feet. "Well Negaduck, it's back to the St. Canard prison for you," the vigilante said, holding the villain by the collar.

Negaduck shook his head as if clearing it, then turned and gave his double an evil smile. "Not yet Darkwing. I still have one more trick up my sleeve." Gosalyn saw a small, pea sized object drop from one of his hands, and suddenly a small explosion erupted right at the pair's feet. The blast blew the ducks apart, throwing Negaduck towards the center of the room, and Darkwing, to Gosalyn's horror, right towards the broken window! Gosalyn heard herself scream her dad's name as he hit the windowsill, and moved in a futile effort to help him as the force of the explosion continued to carry him right over the sill, and into the nothingness beyond. She stopped short with tears in her eyes as Darkwing disappeared out of sight, realizing that she was too late. Her dad was gone.

A shuffling sound tore Gosalyn's eyes from the window, reminding her that Negaduck was still in the room. Her tears gave way to anger. There was no way that duck was going to get away, not after what he'd done! The red-head looked around for something, anything, that she could use against that villainous leech, but suddenly Negaduck reappeared out of the shadows, making a bee-line for the YMD. Instantly Gosalyn knew what she had to do. She ran for the table, trying to get the device before Negaduck did. She had to make sure that Darkwing's mission got finished! But Negaduck saw the duckling coming, and reached the table just as Gosalyn did. He gave the girl a solid shove, sending her tumbling back onto the floor, and scooped up the YMD.

Gosalyn scrambled to her feet, ready to give the villain a piece of her mind, but stopped short as she saw Negaduck's finger poised over a button, a button she was sure would cause the device to activate. The villain looked her over. "You're that brat that kept following Dorkwing Doofus around," Negaduck said in recognition as he slowly made his way closer to the portal. He gave her a vicious smile. "I hope you enjoyed the show."

Gosalyn was having visions of shoving Negaduck's cape down his throat, preferably with him still wearing it. "Don't worry," Negaduck continued, quickly scanning the room then turning his dark eyes back on her. "You won't be missing him for long." He gave her another evil grin, then pushed the button, disappearing through the portal as the dropped machine hit the ground.

Gosalyn cringed, her eyes squeezed shut and her body tense as she waited for the device to tear her and the universe apart. A minute later, Gosalyn realized that nothing was happening. She opened her eyes. Everything was just like it was supposed to be. The portal was gone, but the YMD lay at her feet, undamaged, and more importantly, unexploded. _What had happened? _The universe was supposed to be blown to bits by now. She stooped down and tentatively picked up the machine.

"Don't worry, it won't explode," a tired, but familiar voice said. Gosalyn looked up, and couldn't believe her eyes! Darkwing was standing just inside the broken window frame, alive! Dropping the YMD, Gosalyn rushed to him, all the fear and anger of the last five minutes completely forgotten in the happiness just of having her dad back. She wrapped him in the biggest, tightest hug she'd ever given, soaking in the warmth and comfort of his touch.

As she hugged him though, she felt a shudder go through his body, and suddenly he was falling towards the floor. Gosalyn quickly grabbed him under the arms, trying to prevent him from falling all the way. His body felt like dead weight, and it was all Gosalyn could do to gently lower him to the floor. She leaned him up against the window sill, and worriedly looked him over. Darkwing's breathing had become ragged, his entire body was trembling, and his feathers had gone deathly pale, but he was still conscious, his face betraying just how tired and how much in pain he was. "Dad, what's wrong?" Gosalyn asked, her fear a clenched fist in her stomach.

He gently shook his head, not even trying to answer. His eyes looked up into hers, and she felt his hand grab hold of her own and squeeze it, trying to reassure her. They remained there, hands interlocked, until SHUSH agents poured into the room five minutes later.


	9. Consequences

Hooter stood alone at the observation window in the SHUSH medical facility, studying the scene on the other side of the glass. Inside the room, Darkwing's still form was visible in his hospital bed, his chest rhythmically rising and falling in the motions of sleep. At his side, snuggled close against his body lay Gosalyn, the hero's arm wrapped around the sleeping red-head in an image anyone would have instantly deemed a "Kodiak" moment. The two looked as close as… Hooter shook his head, dropping the subject in his mind. He didn't want to know anything about any relationship the two may or may not have. Darkwing's identity was his own.

Hooter's thoughts turned to the mallard himself. It was truly amazing. When the vigilante had been brought in he was unconscious, and almost at death's door. After working quickly to get him stabilized, the doctors had put him through a rigorous set of tests and x-rays that lasted through the day, trying to determine what was wrong. What they found was astounding. The doctors reported that the vigilante had suffered three broken ribs, one of which had punctured a lung sometime during his fight with Negaduck. There were signs that the mallard had suffered some form of acute respiratory distress, and they had also detected in Darkwing's bloodstream traces of some unknown, toxic substance that they were still trying to identify, along with, curiously enough, what looked to be the antidote. All that together wasn't normally wouldn't be enough to be life-threatening, but after the episode in the tower, Darkwing's body had just given out on him. Hooter looked down his bandaged shoulder, his arm held immobile in a sling to prevent the wound from tearing. Painful as it was, he knew it was nothing compared to what Darkwing had gone through. And despite it all, the mallard was still able to complete his mission, no thanks to SHUSH.

The clicking of approaching heels pulled the director from his ruminations and he turned away from the window to see a doctor coming toward him. "Director Hooter, you have a call from the vice president," she said. "There's a secure line in the chief surgeon's office if you'd like to take it there."

"Thank you," Hooter replied, heading for the door she indicated. He seated himself at the desk inside and picked up the phone. "Hello Bill," he said a little wearily. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he'd sat down.

"It's good to hear your voice J. Gander," the vice president greeted him. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," the owl assured his friend. "Just a little while to heal followed by a few months of physical therapy."

The vice president gave an audible sigh. "That's a relief. I always thought you would kick the bucket before I did, but don't do it for a few more years yet, okay? I'm pretty sure you've given me a few more white hairs with this stunt you pulled."

Hooter chuckled. "Yes sir," he answered.

"Good. Okay, now that we have that over with, I have to give you the obligatory reprimand for violating protocol and getting yourself shot. Personally, I think you did a heck of a job, but you were lucky. If things didn't turn out the way they did, your butt would be in one gigantic sling right now. Because everything turned out alright though and you were trying to preserve a life, you get to keep your job. Next time though, you're to follow the regulations and not get shot."

"Oh," the vice president continued, "and I thought you might want to know there's quite a lot of pressure being put on General Bomm to resign. Technically speaking, he didn't actually violate orders, but we all know that the goal had been to prevent the YMD from activating, not to take out Negaduck. Needless to say, the president would prefer a secretary general who will put the safety of the country above any personal vendettas."

"As would we all," Hooter replied, somewhat relieved to hear that.

"Anyway, that's all I had to say, so I'll let you get back to your work and the mounds of paperwork I know you have to do. If you're ever in the D.C. area, make sure you look me up, alright? It's been a while since I was able to whoop you in a game of golf."

"You've got it Bill." The director hung the phone up. Instead of heading back out though, the owl lingered a bit in the office, pondering what his friend had just told him. Hooter had received the news about his job with mixed feelings. Yes, he was glad that he wasn't going to get fired for doing the right thing, but to be honest, he really wouldn't have minded if he had been dismissed. The owl was tiring of the government's political game, and knew that he wouldn't be able to keep playing it for much longer. He also knew though that this wasn't the time to quit, that he still had a few more years left in him. Hooter had just been half-hoping for an easy way out. For now though, he would fight the same battle: justice and integrity against stupidity and politics.

Which brought him back to Darkwing. Certain things had been revealed through this experience about the vigilante, things like what the doctors had discovered. They'd had no medical records to pull for the hero since his true identity was unknown, so they'd just had to go from the basics, and had discovered several distinguishing things about him, things that could potentially be used to help track down the hero's civilian identity. Policy demanded that such things be documented and stored for agency reference and usage, but Hooter was thinking that this may be one of those time where he needed to make an executive decision and just have the file destroyed after Darkwing was discharged. The hero had after all just saved not only the agency but the entire world. The least SHUSH could do was help protect his identity.

The director still wanted to know how Darkwing had done it though. Why didn't the YMD destroy everything when activated? How had Darkwing managed to get back when Negaduck had the portal remote? How had the toxic substance gotten into his bloodstream, and who had given him the antidote? What had happened in the Negaverse? Hooter had so many questions, but as he thought of the scene he had just seen in the Darkwing's room, he knew they could wait. Right now, he just wanted the hero to enjoy the rest he'd earned.

* * *

_"It won't work, you know," the Negaverse Hooter said to him as the owl finished his examination of the YMD. "There's no way you can defeat Lord Negaduck now." _

_He was relieved to see that while the owl had picked up on the alterations he'd made to the YMD, it didn't look as though he planned to do anything about it since the director thought he had him cold turkey. It was still going to work. He folded his arms in smug defiance. "Says you. For your information, I've _already_ defeated Negaduck's scheme."_

"_I wasn't talking about his scheme," Hooter replied with a twisted smile. "I was talking about him."_

_He snorted at the preposterousness of the owl's statement. "I've beaten him more times than I can count. What makes you think I won't do it again?"_

"_The fact that you'll be dead." Hooter raised the barrel of the gun to the level of his heart, and before he could do anything to dodge the coming shot, the owl pulled the trigger. But suddenly he was on the ground, the entire room shaking in the shock wave of another explosion. In the same instant, he heard the gunshot, and though he braced himself for the impact of the bullet, none came. Instead he heard a metallic _ping_, and as the floor began to stop quaking, he heard Hooter cry out. He looked toward where Hooter had been, and saw that the owl was now also on the ground, but practically unconscious with a growing red stain on his left shoulder. The explosion that had thrown him to the ground must have also thrown off the director's aim, causing the gun to fire into the safe and send the bullet ricocheting right back at Hooter!_

_He scrambled back to his feet, thanking his lucky stars for exploding pandas, grabbed the YMD, and quickly moved to the door. He had only four minutes left before Negaduck's deadline. Just shy of the doorway though he stopped, and glanced back at the still owl. He glanced around, and spying an emergency panic button on a nearby wall, dashed over to it and hit it, then made for the door again. He may not have the time to stay and help Hooter himself, but the panic button should get some agents in there soon enough to get the owl the help he needed. He hoped._

_He knew that he was running out of time though. As fast as possible, he tore through the hallways and down the stairs to the laboratory. Bursting through the double doors, he discovered, just as he'd hoped, the open portal. He quickly set the YMD on a table and pushed the button, then dove through the portal without hesitation, and after a few disoriented seconds, found himself in the brightly lit laboratory of the SHUSH he knew and loved, with a very upset Dr. Bellum demanding to know what the heck he thought he was doing, and if he knew how delicate the experiment she was working on was._

"_Quick!" he said, his voice cutting through her babbling. "Where is Negaduck hiding out?"_

_The urgency in his tone must have brought her mind back to the real world, because she stopped going on about her experiment, which he may have stopped to marvel at if he had the time. "The St. Canard Tower," she said. She turned to a table and picked up a weird looking wrist watch. "Here," she said, "I've been working on this. You'll need it to get there in time."_

_He warily turned the watch over in his hands, her bad pun lost in his uncertainty about using the gadget. "Thanks, but I think a helicopter would be bet-"_

_He was interrupted by her giving a sharp whistle, and suddenly he found himself on the top floor of the St. Canard Tower. Disoriented by the sudden change in location, it took him a second to recollect his wits. He hated it when she did that, but at least the gadget worked right this time. Just then he caught sight of Negaduck, standing a distance away by a window next to the YMD. He pulled out his gas gun. It might tip off Negaduck that he was here, but he needed to let any SHUSH teams watching that he was in the building. He fired the gun at his feet, letting the blue smoke that erupted from the shot envelop him as Negaduck's head turned at the sound and pulled the evil mallard away from the window to investigate…_

A soft noise caused Darkwing to wake up from his dream. The mallard rubbed his eyes with a soft groan. It was weird reliving memories in your dreams. It always takes a moment to get reoriented when you wake up. He felt something move on his right side, and turned his head to see Gosalyn asleep next to him, precariously balanced in the small space between him and the edge of the bed, a light snore drifting from her beak. The hero smiled. He hadn't even realized she was there. She must have climbed up after the painkillers had knocked him out. The mallard gently shifted himself over on the bed to give the duckling more room, wincing at the pain the movement caused in his ribs. He gingerly rubbed his side. Apparently the drugs weren't able to knock out _all_ the pain. Being in pain though was better than being dead. Darkwing shuddered when he thought of how close he'd come to getting killed. If it hadn't for Quackerjack's exploding panda…

But it was over now. He wouldn't have to face Negaduck again for a long time, if ever. He was just glad that he'd picked up on the relationship between the universe and the Negaverse, or else the world could be in a heap of trouble. It really was obvious looking back, with Negaduck's stiffness in the same side as his own injury, and with how balanced everything was between the two universes, like Negaduck keeping his Gosalyn with him, something that was totally out of character for the evil mallard. Once he'd realized there was a connection, he saw how he could defeat Negaduck. Just a little tweaking on the Negaverse YMD, and the YMD Negaduck had reverted to its original purpose. If Negaduck _did_ actually go through with his threat to press the button, which he did, he would only be sealing himself into his own universe. Darkwing's doppelganger was now stuck in the Negaverse. Well, at least for now. He had no doubt that the evil mallard was already making every effort to circumvent the YMD's effects.

His biggest regret about the whole thing was that he didn't know what had happened to the Friendly Four and Steelbeak. Had they all got away okay, or where they locked away in a SHUSH prison? Darkwing sighed. He knew that while he wouldn't be able to go back anytime soon to make sure they were alright, he could easily discover their fate based off of their counterparts here. If their counterparts were still running around wreaking havoc in his St. Canard, then chances were they had all managed to get away. The mallard made a mental note to ask J. Gander if he knew anything about their whereabouts.

At the moment though, the hero wanted nothing more than to relax. Maybe a vacation to Bermuda was in order. Yeah, Bermuda sounded nice. The warm beaches, the clear water… He could say it was to give himself adequate time to heal. The mallard looked at the red-head next to him, and gently ruffled her hair. It would give Gosalyn something to do besides trying to come up with ways to take advantage of his being laid-up, and he was sure Launchpad would enjoy it. Darkwing sighed contentedly, thinking about all the fun the three of them would have.

He turned his head and looked out the window, where a clear view of St. Canard was lain out for him to see. As he looked over the quiet, brightly lit city, imagining his two weeks in tropical paradise, he was reminded of a similar view he'd seen only a night before from an airport control tower. The mallard sighed as he remembered the tender moments that had followed. Their final parting later in the night had been brief, but he could clearly recall the bright green eyes and sweet voice that had said goodbye to him. He also remembered the promise he'd made her that night in the control tower. No, his dealings with the Negaverse were not done yet. He knew he was going to be going back some day, if only for the sake of the red-head he'd left behind.

* * *

"YOU IMBECILE!" Negaduck raged, his body physically shaking with anger. "How could you let this happen!"

"I-I-It wasn't my fault!" Director Hooter said, shrinking away from the furious mallard. "How was I supposed to know there would be an explosion? I would have had him if it hadn't thrown off my aim!"

Negaduck grabbed a nearby table and threw it at the owl, the wooden frame splintering apart as it hit the wall just over the director's head. "YOU LET THEM _ALL_ GET AWAY!" Negaduck roared, his eyes aflame. "And even _worse_, you let Darkwing escape back to his own universe and SCREW UP MY PLANS! Now I'm STUCK in this blasted universe because of YOUR IDIOCY!"

"But it was an acci-" Hooter started, but stopped abruptly as a chair came flying at him, causing the owl to duck and shield himself as splinters tore through the air. Then suddenly Hooter's throat was caught up in Negaduck's hand, forcing the director up off the floor and against the wall as the villain's chainsaw came at the terrified owl. Gosalyn quickly pulled back further under the desk she was under, knowing the bloodiness that would result as the blade of the chainsaw became a clear reflection in the owl's wide eyes. But just as the tread began to brush the director's gray hair, it stopped, and the chain stilled. Almost grudgingly, Negaduck pulled the saw away and lifted the director so their beaks were only inches away from each other. "You are _very_ lucky that I have a further use for you," Negaduck growled, his masked eyes narrow, "because otherwise this room would be decorated in a new shade of red." His tone dropped several degrees. "But if you _ever_ fail me again the way you failed me today, I promise you'll wish I'd killed you just now." His grip on Hooter's throat tightened to emphasize his point, then he released him, allowing the owl to slide down the wall to the floor, where he lay gasping and rubbing his neck.

Negaduck turned away from the director and marched to the door. Gosalyn scrambled out from her hiding place to follow him, knowing he would be really angry at her if she let herself get left behind. She caught up to him in the hallway, and as she quietly walked behind him, trying to remain as unnoticeable as possible, she heard Negaduck mutter in a tone that gave her chills, "I'll get you yet Darkwing. _I will get you yet_."

* * *

Back at SHUSH headquarters, a lone figure packed up her desk, her green eyes flashing with the anger that welled up inside her. A transfer to the testing department is what they called it, to fill a hole in the staff there. But she knew what it really was. She was being pulled from Research and Development because of her and Dr. Babble's mistakes. Now instead of creating her own experiments, she would only be testing other scientists' work. It was an insult to a scientist of her caliber, and she wouldn't stand for it.

She angrily tossed the last of her papers into the box and put the lid on top, doing a visual check of the desk to make sure she hadn't missed anything. All that remained was the file containing the tron experiment. She picked up the file. She was _supposed_ to deliver the file to Dr. Bellum, who would be sure it was properly taken care of. However… A smile grew on her face as she saw how she could get back at SHUSH. Taking a quick glace around the room to be sure she was alone, the doctor made her way to the copy machine. Ten minutes later, she walked out of the building, a box in her arms, and a bundle of papers in her lab coat.

**To Be Continued…**

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* * *

**_Author's Note:__ And so ends this first part. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As I'm sure you noticed, I left some things defintily unfinished and stirred up a little something new, and I do plan to continue these in my next stories. Thank you to all who took the time to read all the way through this end chapter, and a special thanks to those who wrote reviews and gave me feedback!_**  
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